


Summer 2015

by cHucarA



Category: Motorcycling RPF
Genre: Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 50,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25637308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cHucarA/pseuds/cHucarA
Summary: How Tom and Fabio fell in love that summer.
Relationships: Tom Maubant/Fabio Quartararo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is not my first language so I am very sorry for any mistakes I will make. But I hope you enjoy the story anyway :)

Tom, who has a professional degree with a ‘business’ option, goes towards what he has always been attracted to, the sea. He passes all of the degrees about supervisory staff about jet-skis, wakeboards, water skiing, and other things about the sea and water in general. He works in a nautical base in the South of France. He’s really far from motorcycles bikes, competitions, MotoGP even if he had heard about Rossi, who doesn’t though? He has travelled a lot, from Costa-Rica to Australia, and in 2015, he’s back in his ‘home’, he’s responsible for a nautical base in Saint-Laurent-du-Var.

He realizes his childhood dreams, being as close as possible to this beloved water. He had always known that it was what he wanted to do, being close to her. He takes a look at this beach, crowded, and he discovers a young man, maybe a teen. Too far to be able to describe him, but there’s something in this stranger that sounds like an obviousness, deaf, disconcerting. Why are his eyes only attracted to this young guy whereas there are hundreds of pretty young girls? He didn’t know. Someone asks for his attention, and he moves away definitively his eyes.

Tom’s life is more or less orderly. He’s back from some years of total freedom all around the Earth, to make the most about his youth in the most beautiful beach that has this world. Somewhere, he misses those moments, and sometimes, he would love being back in this golden period, but his family, the most valuable thing at his eyes, was missing. So, he comes back, and he’s happy about it. Life is still long, his youth still there, he’s only 21-years-old. At this age, unless you meet ‘the’ person, relations come and go, some of them are only for a night, others for months, but all are only temporary. Last year, with his pretty face, his sun-kissed muscles, his likeable way of being, he had a lot of conquests.

Days pass and somewhere looks the same. This young guy, he saw him almost every day for more than a week. Often, their looks cross, but nothing more happens, just to strangers looks who meet. And one day, one of Tom’s friends, Pierre, came to see him, and they went together to drink something in the city-centre of Nice. They talk a lot, happy to see each other again, and in the middle of really passionate talk about Tom’s love life, his friend asks if a friend of his could join them. “Of course” answered Tom, relieved to talk about something else. The conversation moves on to actuality, and of course, their favourite ever football team: the OGC Nice. Two things were always obvious for Tom: sea, and football. A Sport he played when he was younger. All of sudden, his eyes are attracted by a figure coming closer to them: the guy from the beach. He’s walking, headphones on, and his eyes are wandering over tables to find his friend, Pierre. He wears a loose light blue shirt, shorts and his eyes got big while crossing Tom’s one. He slows down, unconsciously, and diverts his eyes on the floor, a light blush on his cheeks. Pierre moves around, gives him a big smile, and shows the free seat next to him with his left hand. The young guy comes to their table, and shyly, takes a seat. 

“Tom, this is Fabio. Fabio, this is Tom” says Pierre with another big smile, happy that these two finally met. “I know the beach is big, but you may have seen each other, who knows ?” he had.

“Nice to meet you” smiles Tom.

Fabio’s eyes meet again Tom's. This close, he seems younger, ‘he’s probably fifteen, impossible for him to be older’ he thinks. He wonders how these two meet.

“Me too” Fabio eventually says all shyly, while avoiding Tom’s eyes.

“I already told you about him” adds Pierre. “We met in Spain, over one year ago, and he’s back home for some days” he explained.

“Oh that’s nice” comments Tom. “How did you two meet ?” he asks to keep the conversation on, (also because his really curious about this young guy). 

“We basically live in the same street, and, you know, two French people in the same city in Spain, it created links” laughs Pierre, and there’s a slight smile on Fabio’s lips.

“And, what do you do in Spain ?” asks slowly Tom, with a smile, hoping to not make things awkward for Fabio.

Some seconds pass, and the younger one eventually talks. “I’m a rider, and the Spanish championship was a better option for a potential career. So, I moved there when I was thirteen, in my manager’s home” he explains quickly. But Tom saw this sparkle in his eyes when talking about bikes.

“I saw him on some tracks, and he’s really good actually” adds Pierre. “By the bye, he won the moto 3 junior championship, more than once! He’s the youngest to achieve it !” Tom sees that Fabio seems to be embarrassed.

“It looks great !” answers Tom with a smile. “To leave my home for years, I know how happy we are when we’re back home, you know what you will do ?” He sees the confusion in Fabio’s face, and he relaxes while realizing that the subject is changing.

“I didn’t come back for a while, to be honest, and I’m realizing at which point I miss everything of this,” he said, almost nostalgic. “I think that, apart from going to the beach, I will just take the opportunity to spend time with relatives and friends, and, more important, training”.

Quickly, the conversation moves on how good it is to live in a place like Nice, with the Mediterranean Sea just there, mountains at less than two hours, how nice the weather is.. Tom has seen a big change in Fabio’s behaviour, from their meeting, one hour ago, and now, while speaking about banalities. The ‘racing’ subject seems to be banned, and it’s not a problem for Tom, it’s just strange that the younger seems to be that uncomfortable speaking about it. They pull apart after a meal in a restaurant, and the fact that Fabio eats nothing more than a salad finds his way in Tom’s mind. Anyways, they promised to see each other really soon, and Tom tells them to come on the nautical base where he works, that it would be nice. Both of them agree. 


	2. Chapter 2

It’s a couple of days later that they meet again. They are on the beach, which is practically empty, and the sun lowers slowly in the blue sky. They all agreed on doing jet-ski, even if Fabio never did before. Pierre, who often goes with Tom on the sea, already knows how it works, and tries to smooth the younger one who is a little worried. Tom offers to share a jet-ski with Fabio, showing him how it works, and then switching their positions. Fabio nods, but if Tom misses the light flush on Fabio's cheeks, Pierre sees it. Tom comes back with three life jackets and hands them to both of his friends. Pierre goes ahead of them, while Tom jumps on the jet-ski, waiting for Fabio to do the same. He checks if the jacket is correctly attached, and at the moment he's about to turn the gas on, he realizes Fabio is not correctly hanging. He turns a little to face the younger one and explains to him that it would be better if he grabs the handle with one hand, and wraps the other one around his own body. One again, Fabio only nods. He does what he was told, and shyly puts his left hand on the side of Tom's body, but it's more of a touch. Tom shakes his head and takes Fabio's hand to put it and his life jacket over his abs. He misses the flush on Fabio's cheeks. Without saying something more, they go to conquer the Mediterranean sea. 

Ten minutes later, Fabio's body seems to relax against Tom. Tom thinks that this is the right moment for them to switch their positions, now that he's more confident. So he starts to slow down, and he just stops. Fabio pouts, not understanding why they stop. Pierre, who is already far from them, turns around to come closer to his friends. When he's close, Tom is explaining to Fabio what he has to do, and all of the basics. Fabio nods many times, understanding what he's told, and they're switching. Tom is now behind him, one hand on Fabio's belly covered by the life jacket, and the other around the handle. But Fabio doesn't move. Even after one minute. 

"Everything OK?" asks eventually Tom, coming closer to Fabio. 

"You sure I won't kill us, or, I don't know?" answers the other with an almost silent voice. It's almost a miracle that Tom heard him. 

"I'm sure you're gonna do really well. I trust you and believe in you" says Tom immediately, shocked by the lack of self-confidence of the younger one. 

Tom thinks Fabio answers something like "You shouldn't. I don't really feel it, I was good at being a passenger" but with the sound of the sea, and the fact that Fabio has whispered, he's not sure. He doesn’t know if it's the right thing to do, but he moves his right hand to the handlebars, on top of Fabio's one, and the other on the other side. And he slowly made the jet-ski moves to show the younger one that everything is fine. And again, he feels Fabio's body relax, and he eventually moves again his hands on their previous spots. 

And here, on the ocean, while Fabio is driving the jet-ski really well, Tom remembers what Pierre told him about his French friend. He said that he was smiling all the time, friendly, always happy, and it did not fit with the younger one. He's shy, not secure about himself - it doesn't change anything for Tom, he already likes him, but he wonders what happened to him to change. Tom has also noticed that Fabio seems to really look at everything he eats, he does, and always tries to find room to add another training session. Tom really wants to know more about this young guy who seems to be really cool, funny, deeply nice.. 

Pierre has also talked a lot about his abilities and skills with a bike, but Tom doesn't know anything about races, and championships, and how it works, but he really trusts Pierre. The only thing he knows about motogp, is Valentino Rossi - the most successful driver of motogp's history at the moment - but nothing more. He would be really glad to discover more about it, and more about the younger one, whatever it is about, to be honest. 

Pierre comes back again, and they stay another half an hour before they find their way back to the beach. Pierre and Tom congratulate Fabio for his great drive, and he blushes a little, overwhelmed by all the compliments. Tom tells him about his first time on a jet-ski that ends on the water, and they all laugh at the story. 

It's already late when they reach the city-center, so Tom asks them if they want to go to his flat. Pierre smiles and nods in agreement, but Fabio freezes. Tom is scared to have said something wrong, so he adds that he totally understands if he wants to go back to his family's house, that he didn't wait for any justification at all. Fabio eventually takes his phone and seems to send a chat. 

"It's OK" he smiles. "I tell my mom I will be at your flat tonight because I didn't want her to worry" he adds, once again shyly, almost avoiding Tom's eyes. 

"I'm happy you both came tonight" says Tom all happily, and Pierre smiles again. 

They go to Tom's car, and twenty minutes later, they're in front of a nice little house, all charming. Tom smiled. He takes his keys and opens the doors, waiting for his friends to come in, before closing the door. Everybody takes their shoes off, Tom hands them slippers. 

"It's because you will be comfier than with only your socks" he explains, understanding his friends' laughter. 

He shows them the little house, he just finished decorating it, and he's happy to share it. So they ended in the blue kitchen. 

"What do you want to eat?" Tom asks them. 

"Pizza?" suggests immediately Pierre. 

"It's OK for me" adds Tom, so they're looking at Fabio, waiting for an answer. "If you didn't want to eat a pizza, it's not a bother. They do other stuff too" he smiles. "Don't move, I will give you the menu". 

Before Fabio could say something else, Tom is back with a colourful sheet of paper he hands to Fabio. 

"Thank you", the youngest smiles. 

"You're welcome" he smiles too. "You guys want to drink something?" 

They all take drinks, Tom makes the call for the delivery, and they go to the living room, Tom offers them to play some games. They all agreed on FIFA.

Later, someone's ringing the bell takes Tom's attention. He opens the door, takes the two pizzas, Fabio's salad (one again), and some snacks he takes with Pierre. He, of course, pays the delivery man, and goes back to the living room, finding Fabio and Pierre in an intense match, smiling at the sight he has. 

They all eat while watching a random movie, laughing at all the characters, and it feels right to be there, having Pierre at his right, and Fabio at his left. When Fabio leaves the living room, maybe to go to the toilets, Tom comes closer to Pierre.

"He never eats more than that?" he murmurs. Pierre pouts and shrugs. 

"No, he's scared of gaining weight. At one point, I tried to force him to eat a little much, but it doesn't work, so I let him do how he wants". 

"Is it because of the competition you were talking about?" asks Tom. 

Pierre was about to say something, but the sound of lights steeps make him only nod, the pout still on his face. 

Tom is not focusing on the movie, all his thoughts are about Fabio. Even if he doesn't know precisely how old he is, he is still a teenager. He shouldn't have to constantly look after his weight, what he does, he's so young. And it worries him that one day, all of this could end by eating him, because it could become too much. He seems to give everything he has to this sport, he even left his house to another country at thirteen, thirteen. What was he doing at this age? Probably video games, and the little guy near him, left his whole family, friends, comfort, and security from his everyday life to reach his dream. This is honourable, and he really hopes that one day, he will accomplish it. 

Once the movie ends (a movie that he didn't follow since Fabio is back), they play for a moment some other games, until Pierre, who is yawning for a long time, goes to sleep. They just stayed, both of them in the silent living room. Fabio is seated alongside him, his eyes on the TV screen, even if there is nothing more than the game's menu. Tom does the same thing. They stayed like that for a moment, before Tom spoke. 

"Do you want to make another one?" 

It makes Fabio jump. Tom immediately excuses himself, and Fabio just smiles in return. 

"Were you on this beach this week?" Fabio asks out of nowhere, his eyes still locked on the TV screen hanging on the wall. 

He reflects some seconds. He doesn't understand why he is asking him this question, but honestly is always the right answer for Tom. Always. 

"Yes. You saw me too?" he answers softly. He turns himself to face Fabio. 

"I couldn't explain why, but even though there were maybe hundreds of people, I was only seeing you" he confesses and Tom does not know what to do with this information. Is this a kind of flirt attempt, just something that came from nowhere,..? 

Honestly. Being honest is important, remind you of your promise. 

"Same here". It's only a whisper, and he doesn't know how the atmosphere has changed, but it's definitely different. He's lost, and the younger one doesn't seem to know where he is going. "So, you want to play another game or to go to sleep?" 

First Fabio doesn't answer. Maybe he was reflecting? Tom doesn't say anything, doesn't do anything, he just lets him reflect, and gives him all the time he needs. 

"I started to feel tired, I think it would be more reasonable to go to sleep" he eventually says. "But, if you’re up for it, I could try to take revenge on you tomorrow?" 

"With pleasure, little one" smiles Tom. He doesn't know where the nickname is from, but it did feel right to use it. "I will lead you to your room" he quickly adds, no wanting to make Fabio feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. He just smiles shyly and follows him down the stairs. 

"Thank you for the jet-ski lesson and this evening" says a little voice, and it warms Tom's heart. So he just came closer, and ruffled his hair with another smile. 

"Anytime" he says. "Sleep well, and if you need anything, I'm just here" he adds while pointing to another closed door. 

"Thank you very much for everything. Good night" Smiles one more Fabio. 

"Good night Fabio" answers immediately Tom. 

Fabio gets inside of the guest room, and Tom reaches his bedroom. He cleans his teeth and remembers he doesn't give Fabio spare cloth. He goes into this closet, takes one large shirt and a comfortable large short, and knocks at Fabio's room door. He heard some lights steep, and he opened the door.

"I forgot to give you these, you will be more comfortable. We're almost the same size, so I think it will match" explains almost sheepishly Tom. 

Fabio nods and smiles. "Thank you very much". He takes what Tom hands him, and after some other 'good night', Tom makes his way back to his bedroom, while Fabio closes the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

Tom is laying on his side between the sheets of the bed, but he couldn't sleep. He couldn't turn his thoughts off, and it's a problem. He's thinking about everything, about Fabio on the jet-ski, Fabio in his living room, how bothered he seemed to be when they were talking about pizza. He doesn't understand why he keeps thinking about it, it's none of his business after all. He rubs his face and takes his phone. The light of the screen made him crises his eyes. It's three past twenty, really late or early in the morning, he doesn't know - and it doesn't matter, to be honest - and he opens Instagram. Is this something really useful to do when it's impossible to sleep? No. It becomes even worse when he goes on Pierre' s account because he has posted a video earlier, and he finds a picture of Pierre with Fabio. He doesn't really mean it, but he touches the screen, and he sees Fabio's account which is tagged. He couldn't resist and just go on it. Tom finds it strange to see that he has less than ten thousand followers, and the number of 'likes' on his pictures is never higher than two of three thousand. He rubs his face again and puts his head back on the pillow and he only looks at the ceiling for some minutes, while he does nothing. Eventually, his phone goes to sleep, and it's all black in the room, and he keeps thinking about thousands of insignificant things. 

Steps on the corridor wake him up. He barely opens one eye, but he's too tired to get out of bed. He uses all of his energy to take his phone, and sees that it's only seven in the morning, maybe Fabio or Pierre is going to the toilets or drinking something. He doesn't try to understand more and fall asleep again. 

He heard his phone's ringing, and he needs some seconds to understand what's happening, and he finally takes it, still half-asleep.

"Sorry to wake you up but I'm behind the front door, could you open to me please?" asks a little voice. He needs some moments to understand that it’s Fabio and that is  _ outside _ of the house. "Tom?" calls Fabio because Tom hasn't spoken for almost a minute. 

"Yeah, sure. I'm coming" he says while he gets up and yawns. 

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I didn't have the keys" says Fabio with a little voice, apologizing. 

"Don't worry. It's not a bother" he tries to reassure Fabio before he hangs up the phone because he knows Fabio is on the other side of the door. 

"Thank you" smiles Fabio when Tom opens the door.

Fabio is all sweaty, and his cheeks are red. Does he go running at the beach? "No worry again" answers Tom. "You know what time it is?" 

Fabio takes his phone out of his pocket and looks at the screen. "Ten past fifteen". 

"Would you like to go and eat something?" he offers. "Take a shower before if you want, I know a really good place, I'm sure you will love it" adds Tom. 

He sees Fabio's coming through different feelings, but it ends with a smile. "I would really like it".

"I'm going to dress too, and we meet here in twenty minutes?" 

Fabio nods. They know Pierre will be sleeping the whole morning, he never wakes up before 12 PM when he goes to sleep that late. 

Tom takes a large yellow shirt and linen short before going to the bathroom adjoining his bedroom to take a shower. Once he is done, he does his hair, and he returns to the living room, where Fabio is already waiting. 

"Sorry to have made you wait," says Tom, a little embarrassed. 

"No worries" answers immediately Fabio with a smile. "Where do you want to go?" he asks, curious. 

"You gonna see, I hope you will enjoy it" replied softly Tom. "You’re ready to go?" 

Fabio nods, and Tom smiles. Then, they walk to a cosy little building near the turquoise sea. 

"I came here often" starts to explain Tom. "They do really good food, and the view is incredible" he adds with a big smile. 

They come inside. It’s beautifully decorated, with a cosy atmosphere. When Tom turns his head, he sees Fabio's smile, and it warms his heart. They made their way to the counter, where a woman is. 

"Hello" says Tom with a smile. The woman answers 'hello' as well, and he orders an assortment of fruits - he knows Fabio is on a strict diet, so eating not healthy thinly wouldn't be nice to him.

Fabio orders the same, but with different fruits. 

Once they get the food, they go on the sunny terrace, in front of the light blue sea. Tom was scared to make Fabio feel uncomfortable when he asked him to get here and take breakfast, but it feels right now. It feels strangely  _ right  _ to be there with him, even if they know each other for less than a day. 

"So, what are you doing here?" says shyly Fabio, maybe insecure of being too intrusive. 

"I'm responsible for a nautical base, where I do a lot of different things" laughs Tom. "Outside of this I do a lot of flyboard. I have friends with whom I do some events" he adds.

"It looks cool but I don't know what it is" confesses Fabio with a sheepish smile.

"I didn't know either 5 years ago" answers Tom, hoping for Fabio to not feel ashamed to not know. "I don't know how to explain it to you" he admits. "I will show you some videos, I'm sure you already saw it somewhere" he smiles gently.

So Tom shows him, and Fabio seems to be impressed. 

"How did you learn it?" he asks, curious. 

"Hm.. I always love the sea and everything concerning it. So I met people who love it too, and this way I discovered it and fell in love with it" he explains. "If you want, I could make you try one day?" offers Tom with a grin. 

Fabio blushes lightly, and this time, Tom sees it. 

"It looks scary and out of control" he responds while laughing. 

"Say someone who's driving bikes at more than one hundred fifty miles per hour" chuckles Tom. 

Fabio blushes again, but not for the same reason and Tom finds him really cute. 

"It's not the same thing" he tries to defend himself. 

"I know" answers softly Tom with a smile. "At the beginning, I was a little scared too, but finally, once you fully understand how it works, it's not that scary anymore" he explains. 

"Oh, I see" answers Fabio. "But I don't change my mind, it's still scary as hell, and my manager wouldn't agree to this anyway" he adds with a little sad smile. 

Tom frowns, not really understanding. "Why wouldn't he?" And it's once he asks that he realize that it's really intrusive, and it could make Fabio uncomfortable. He's about to say something more when Fabio speaks. 

"I could be hurt and so miss some races" he pouts. 

"Even when during breaks?" 

The younger one nods. "If I broke one bone or hurt my body, I will need some weeks to fully recover and I will miss races so loose points in the championship and I couldn't". 

Again, Tom is shocked to hear that. He doesn't expect it, and it's worse than what he’s thinking.

"Wow" it's the only thing he manages to say. 

His eyes cross Fabio's and he sees that he's embarrassed or uncomfortable. 

"I didn't expect that" he started, a little uncertain. "I mean, you're so young and you have to deal with so many things. I'm impressed because at your age I wasn't that mature". 

Fabio blushes for the third time in less than five minutes. 

"It's just normal" Fabio shrugs. 

"So, I understand that you're driving bikes, but could you explain to me more about it? I'm curious" asks Tom with a smile. He doesn't want to create an awkward situation, so he moves on.

"Oh. I started riding bikes really young when I was still a child, and I was good at it, so to start competition earlier and at a higher level, I moved to Spain while my parents stayed in Nice, to shorten it. Living with my manager was strange at the beginning, but now I’m used to it. Even speaking Spanish was difficult at the beginning, but thanks to that, I was and still able to do what I really love, even if I’m far from my relatives and friends" explains Fabio. “What do you know about motgp?” he asks, smiling.

"I only know Rossi" laughs Tom. "Could you tell me more about it?" he asks. 

So Fabio explains how the CEV went, which he won 5 times, including 2 times the Moto 3 category, before going into the world championship this year. He also explains how the World Championship works, and Tom was drinking his words.

"So, to go into the Motogp class, you must do well in Moto 3 to go into the Moto 2 class, and then, hoping to find a contract in a Motogp team?" asks Tom who tries to recap.

Fabio’s heart softens when he realizes that Tom is really interested in what he does. He often meets people who don't care, and it's not a problem for him, but meeting someone who cares, it does something in his heart. 

"Exactly, you understand quickly" answers Fabio with a grin. 

They were silent for some minutes, just enjoying the presence of the other, the delicious food, and the magnificent view. 

"How long are you staying ?" he dares to ask. 

It's scary how quickly Tom has become attached to the younger one. 

"One week and maybe one day, or two" he answers, almost murmuring, as if he says it out loud, it would break something - both of their hearts. They know it, but it's easier to pretend it doesn't matter to them. That doesn't affect them to know that they will be separated in a few days, not by hundreds of miles, but by a border, or worst, they won't be on the same continent. 

"Oh," says Tom with a strange voice. "You will probably see your relatives and your friends, but will you have some time to say goodbye to me?" 

"I would like to see you in another way than just saying ' _ goodbye _ '" dare to respond to Fabio. "Only if you want it too" he adds quickly. 

' _ Of course, I want it _ ' thinks immediately Tom, but could he really say that? 

"With pleasure," he says instead. "What would you like to do?" 

Fabio reflects the same second, his fingers pinching his lower lip. 

"I don't know" he shrugs. "As long I'm with you, I'm good". 

Tom's heart almost stops. Is Fabio  _ flirting _ with him or is it just friendly? 

"And how many days have you?" He asks with a small smile. 

"As many as you need". He says it in a way that touched him in one way or another. 

"Maybe we could spend two days in a property my family owns in the mountains, Pierre or some friends of yours could come as well?" he offers. 

Fabio's face lights up. 

"Would be perfect" he grins. "But when?" 

"I have two days off Thursday and Friday if it's OK for you?" 

He seems to be thinking, he narrows his eyes and Tom can't help but find him really cute.

"Will be good for me" he smiles again. "We're gonna ask Pierre when we will be back, but I think it will be good for him too". 

After that, they take the path back to Tom's house while talking happily and enjoying the sun. 


	4. Chapter 4

Fabio seems to be shy, from outside, but whoever tries to know him, discovers a funny guy, really kind, caring.. and they don't want to lose him. When he met Pierre, over a year ago, he was in Spain for a long time and was integrated into the Spanish way of living, but meeting a French person who was almost his age was great. They quickly became friends, close friends, best friends, and they shared their passions. Pierre was a really good football player, so Fabio was coming to every match he could, and Pierre was doing the same with his races. They were supported by each other. 

Pierre, since they met, has always been really important support - even the best - in Fabio's life. Every time he had had a bad race, or not done enough in his opinion, Pierre was always here to comfort him. At that time, even if he was seen as a prodigy, he was sure that he could do better, he could train harder, and Pierre was always there to tell him how good was what he did. Fabio deeply likes him, he even considers him as a brother. He's the big brother he needed a few years ago, and the one he needs now. He's always so insecure, and Pierre is always there to tell him nice things to help him get more confident in himself. It indeed works. He's not secure when there are strangers, but it becomes better and better, and Pierre seems to be really proud of him, and it's everything he needs. 

When he had signed in 2014 a contract to become a Moto 3 World Championship driver for the 2015 season, he was so, so proud. He thought about his parents who always believed in him, of course, but he shared this information first with Pierre. He ran to his house, and when Pierre opened the door, he shot " _ I will be in Moto 3 next year! _ " and Pierre beamed at him, and gave him a very tight hug, telling him how proud he was. And they spend the afternoon and the evening together. 

Pierre came to some races to support him, and every time he was there, Fabio did great. His family couldn't come to support him around the world, so he was often alone, only with his manager, his trainer, and people from his team, nobody else. He did feel lonely sometimes, more when he had free time and no one he truly likes to spend time with. Of course, he was close to some other drivers, but, it wasn't the same. So, when Pierre was coming, he was happier, and because he felt supported, he had better results. Maybe Pierre knew it, and this is why he tried to be there every time he could.

Fabio, sometimes, did feel selfish because he never gives back what Pierre has given to him, and what he stills gives him. He tried and tried to support Pierre as he could and with all of his heart, but it's never enough in his opinion. 

They always have a special bond, a special way to understand each other because, in a way, they almost live the same thing. They both left their family really young to reach their dreams. Maybe this is the reason for their close friendship? 

-

When they reached Tom's house, Pierre was still sleeping. So, they decide to play another Fifa game. They laugh a lot, and this is the sight Pierre has when he comes into the living room. Neither of the two has seen him coming, they are close to each other, they're smiling and laughing, and it also makes Pierre smile to see his friends being happy. He slowly came to the sofa, and when they noticed him, they both jumped. 

"Who's winning?" he asks. 

"I am" answers quickly and with a big grin Tom. 

"No, he's not, look at the scores, 4-1 for me" giggles Fabio. 

"I'm sure you're cheating, it's not possible otherwise" 

"I'm not, you're just not good enough" 

"I am" responded Tom. "You're just cheating" 

"I'm. not. cheating" says Fabio, his eyes locked on the screen. "Pierre, says something please" 

Pierre laughs and just watches them being young fools. Finally, it ended with 5-3 for Fabio, and he's the happiest young guy he never saw. 

"Have you seen that? An incredible victory for me" he manages to say while grinning and giggling. 

"I'm sure you cheated" Tom laughs, tickling him, rubbing his fingers on Fabio's ribs and Fabio laughs harder. 

"I'm not a cheater" he still giggled while trying to escape Tom's hands. 

Pierre decides to help Fabio, so he catches Tom and the younger one quickly sees the escape and hides himself behind Pierre, helping him to tickle Tom who from a predator, becomes a prey. 

They stay like that, against each other, really tired for a moment. They are comfy like that. Tom is on his back, Pierre is half on top of him, and Fabio is on his side, stuck between Pierre and the sofa backrest. His head is on Tom's shoulder, and somewhere, Tom's hand finds his way into his brown hair. And somehow, Fabio closes his eyes and falls asleep. 

"Pierre, you're heavy" whispers Tom, who notices that Fabio is sleeping. 

"When it's Fabio it's OK, but you want me to leave" he laughs softly and Tom also laughs. 

"Let him sleep, I will make something to eat" says Pierre while he tries to get up without waking Fabio up. 

"OK" nods Tom. 

So Pierre goes to Tom's kitchen, and he takes out of cupboards and fridge everything he needs. He takes three plates and puts rice in and he adds from another dish, some cooked vegetables with chicken and curry. It really looks tasty, and when he comes back into the living room, both are fast asleep. Pierre smiles, finding it really cute. Fabio is now on his stomach, on top of Tom's chest, and Tom's arms are wrapped around the younger one. Really cute. 

Pierre let them sleep, and puts the plates in the fridge. He's not hungry at the moment. So he goes to the small garden around the house, and takes a nap in one of the deck chairs. 

Fabio is the first to wake up, he's feeling good, protected, and it's when he opens his eyes that he understands the situation. He was sleeping, and he didn't sleep anywhere, not near Tom, but  _ on top _ of him. It would be a lie to say that he's not feeling good, but it could bother Tom, no? And where is Pierre? He moves a little, and when he feels Tom's arms around him, he can't help, but smile. Now that Tom is still sleeping, he's good with it, but as soon as the older one opens his eyes, he will be terribly embarrassed. Should he get up, trying to not wake up Tom, or just staying here and pretend to sleep till Tom will wake up to let him decide what to do? Hm, the second option seems good for Fabio. So, he may come closer to Tom, and closes his eyes. The thing he doesn't know is that Tom is not sleeping anymore. 

It's one hour later that Pierre wakes them up by squeezing Fabio's shoulder lightly. 

"It's twenty past three, you should get up, I cooked something delicious for you" he says, and talking about food makes Tom move, and so Fabio. 

"What is it?" asks Fabio, still half-asleep.

"Get up and you will find out" answers Pierre in a playful way. "I'm waiting for you". 

Pierre leaves the room and puts the plates in the microwave one after the others. It will be less tasty, but he can't do otherwise anyway. He takes the plates and puts them on the table, waiting for them to come. Meanwhile, Tom and Fabio are just quiet. Fabio has just rolled on his side, but he's still a little over Tom, and the latter still has a hand on Fabio's hair. Eyes closed, Fabio enjoys the little scratches on his scalp, it soothes him. He was scared that the situation might be awkward, but it's just nice. It feels right to be against his new friends, strangely right. 

"Are you awake?" asks lightly Tom. It's almost a Whisper. 

Fabio nods, and slowly, he gets up on his feet. Tom does the same, and they find Pierre who's looking outside through the window. 

"We're here" says Tom, and he turns around to face them with a smile.

They start to eat, and it still tastes good even after the microwave. They are talking nicely. 

"By the way, we planned to spend two days in a house my parents own in the mountains, would you like to come?" offers Tom. 

"Would be nice, but when?" 

Pierre is free on those days, so they plan everything. 

After eating, they go to the beach, one with sand, near Nice and they enjoy playing in the water, running in the waves and the warm sun against their skin is really nice. Being here is like a bubble, like there is alone on this beach, even if it's not true. After a long time on the water, they go on their beach towels to sunbathe a little more. 

After another hour, they decide to come back to Nice, so they reach Tom's car. Pierre asks to go on the back seat, so Fabio goes on the front seat. Tom starts the car while Fabio is connecting his phone with the car radio to put some music on. Nobody's talking in the car, Tom is focused on the road, Pierre is sleeping in the back, and Fabio - he doesn't dare to look at him. Maybe he's sleeping, maybe he's looking at the landscape, or maybe he does nothing? With just one look, he could know, but.. 

"You want me to drive you to your family house?" eventually asks Tom, his eyes still locked on the road in front of him. 

When he doesn't hear an answer, he thinks that Fabio is sleeping. Maybe Fabio also feels this awkward atmosphere and he chooses to no respond, maybe he's really slee-

"Would be nice, but I forgot my mobile phone charger when we left this afternoon" answered Fabio softly. 

"I can drive Pierre to his house, then we come to my place to pick it up and I drop you off?" he offers. 

"I don't want to bother you" says Fabio with a small voice. "It's not really a bother, I could take one of the family because I will see you in two days anyway," he adds.

"It's not a bother" smiles Tom, looking at Fabio for the first time since they are in the car. "It's already ten to nine, so if your family already eats, we could take something and eat on the beach with Pierre?" 

Tom wants to slap himself. Fabio is refusing politely his offer, and instead of understanding, he just insists. ' _ How stupid am I? _ ' he thoughts. 

"I would like it" he says it so quietly that Tom isn't sure he understands it well. "I mean, if you wanted it too, and not just because you want to be nice to me because I'm Pierre's friend" he adds while curled up on the seat. 

' _ What? _ ' it's the only thing Tom can think about. 

"I don't know what you mean by the last sentence, because, of course, I want to spend time with you because I like you" says Tom assertively but with some tenderness, while looking at him, still curled up in his seat, almost stuck in the car door. Tom wants to hug him tightly. 

"I'm sorry" he whispers. "Everything was perfect, and I ruined everything again" he says with a voice that seems to betray sobs. 

Tom's heart tightens. He hardly swallowed his saliva. He has to do something. He spots a small safe place to stop the car. He doesn't turn the engine off to not wake up Pierre who's still sleeping. He puts the hazard lights on and turns himself to the right to face Fabio who has wet eyes, way too much to be just dust. Tom's heart breaks a little to this awful sight. He doesn't reflect but he unties his belt and comes closer to Fabio with open arms and a small smile. Fabio tries to swallow his sobs, but his trembling shoulders betray him, and maybe the sight of hope embodied by Tom's open arms turns his heart upside down. He doesn't reflect either, but unties his belt and almost jumps in Tom's stills open arms. 

"I'm so- so sor- ry" he cries. 

Tom's hands behind his back in soothing circles help him calm down. He keeps murmuring soothing things like "You have nothing to be sorry about, everything is good", "You're safe here", "cry as much as you need, you will feel better afterward" and it somehow finds his way right to Fabio's heart. And so he cries much because he's so scared that all of this is just a distraction in Tom's life because it's not for him. He's already so attached to him, so deeply that he knows that he could survive if his fears turn out to be true. 

They stay like that for a while, they don't really know how many times. It could be one minute or three hours. They stayed like that until the younger one calmed down, and maybe even afterward because they are so good like this. They both have their eyes closed, Fabio's head resting against Tom's shoulder, while Tom's chin rests against Fabio's shoulder. He has a hand on the back of Fabio's head in a protective way, and the other on his back, still drawing soothing inconsistencies, and Fabio seems to like it. The youngest has his hands firmly tied behind Tom's back as if he never wanted to let him go - as Tom would leave him. 

Tom's right-hand moves from behind his head to Fabio's hair. And he slowly pulls away from him to meet his still closed eyes. Tom's hand in his hair moves again, but this time in the direction of his cheekbones. The hand on Fabio's back slides gently towards the ribs, and Tom's eyes never leave him. Fabio's face twists again, another sob seems to want to continue torturing him

"Hey" says softly Tom, his own eyes wet now, his thumb strokes his cheek slowly. "Everything's OK. You're not alone, I'm here. Is there something I can do to help you in any way?"

Fabio would lie if he denies that Tom's concern doesn't affect him and his stupid heart. He's so nice, so caring.. he doesn't deserve him. In any way, in any case. 

"I'm so-sorry" and then he cries again. 

Tom pulls him into his arms again, and his hands are back into his back to soothe him again. 

"Again, you are nothing to be sorry for. I don't know you enough to fully understand, but you have all the right to feel this way. Crying is OK, and if it helps you, we can talk about it, otherwise, I will just cradle you till you feel better, even all night long if it's needed" he says softly in his ear. 

Fabio seems to cry harder, and his hands grip Tom's sweatshirt more firmly, as if he finally let everything go. Tom is still murmuring soothing things in his ears. And a moment later, Fabio finally pulls away from him, his eyes dry, as if he had used up all his tears.

"Thank you" he says with a broken voice. 

As Fabio blinks, a lone tear rolls down his cheek, and Tom's eyes can't stray from its path. He grabs it before it rolls down his neck. He feels Fabio's cold skin and sees him shivering. Without thinking, he takes off his very soft sweatshirt and he passes it over the head of the youngest under his puzzled gaze. 

"But- you- you will be cold?" 

"You're cold and I'm not, and I have another one in the boot" smiles softly Tom. 

"Thank you, thank you for everything" answers quickly Fabio with stars in his eyes as he's the best thing he has had in his life.

"Just a normal thing" he says. "So, I will drive to a place where we will pick up some food, and gonna eat somewhere? After I will take you home, OK?" 

It's so nice that Fabio could cry again, but he has no more tears. 

"It's more than perfect" he manages to say. 

Tom removes the hazard lights, and he gets back on the road. He sees a fast-food restaurant, and orders for Fabio and Tom too, and once he collects his delivery, he takes the road to a place he really loves, and he is quite sure they will see the sunset. 

Twenty minutes later, they are on a desert beach, the sun is about to set, and it feels so right. They wake up Pierre, and they are now eating while talking happily on the beach. After they are done, Pierre yawns and lays down on the still-warm sand. Tom looks beside him, and sees Fabio, quietly seated down, Tom runs a hand behind his back, and the youngest comes a little closer to him, letting their knees touch. There is a really comfortable atmosphere. 

"You should call your mom, she might be worried about you" says eventually Tom. 

Fabio puts his head on Tom's shoulder. 

"Already done, she says it's OK. Usually, they don't go to bed until 11 PM anyway" answers softly Fabio, while closing his eyes. 

Tom is softened by this view. He takes his phone and sees that it's already quarter past ten, but he lets Fabio sleep a little longer. 

"You like him, don't you?" Pierre's voice made him jump. 

He lets his eyes wander over his shoulder, where the younger one rests his head.

"Who doesn't?" 

Pierre just smiles.

"It's twenty-five to eleven, I think we should take him home. 

Tom nods. He moves a little and Fabio moves with him, fast asleep. So Tom chooses to carry him in his arms to the car. Tom puts him in the back seat, as softly as he could, to not wake him up, and ties his belt. Pierre sits on the front seat and Tom turns the engine on. He follows Pierre's instructions to go to Fabio's house. 

Once it's done, Tom looks at Pierre who goes out of the car, opens the back door, and wakes up softly Fabio, helping him to reach his house. He rings the bell, and Fabio's mum appears with a smile, and they get inside. Tom is waiting for Pierre to come back, and he drops him off at his place, before riding to his own house. 


	5. Chapter 5

It's strangely quiet in his house. Spending one day and a half with Pierre and Fabio was incredibly nice. He goes to his bedroom, undresses, and goes to his bed. He feels strange, not really bad, but not good either. It's strange. He rolls under the bedsheets and closes his eyes. He tries to not think, but the day he spends hits him. He thoughts about Fabio's nap on top of him, the way he comes closer, when they play on the water, when they were on their beach towels to sunbathe, the way the sun was reflected on Fabio's skin, what happened in the car, the beach and how light he was when he carried him to the car. He couldn't stop thinking about him, and he doesn't fully understand why. 

He eventually falls asleep, later that night. He knows that it was too late because when his alarm clock rings, he's really tired. He gets out of bed, dresses, and goes out to his car, and he drives to the beach he's working on.

Even if he does a lot of things, he's bored, and the day seems to last long. He doesn't see Fabio and he doesn't know what to do with this information. Even if he smiles all day long, he's not really 'happy' - maybe because he's tired. 

_ Is everything OK?  _

_ I ask because Jak says you don't look good _ \- Pierre. 

Tom frowns. 

_ Yeah, everything OK _

_ I hope you too?  _

_ Yeah.  _

_ You're up to go to drink something after work?  _

_ (fruit juice for you because you seems to be tired) 😉  _

_ Sound good _

_ How could you know if I'm tired or not?  _

_ Am I wrong?  _

_ I don't want to talk about it. _

_ So I'm right.  _

_ See you mate.  _

Tom smiles and goes back to work. Less than an hour before the end of the day. 

He goes back to his car and drives home. He takes a shower, changes his clothes, texts Pierre and walks to their favourite cafe. Pierre is already here, waiting with a drink, and another one is on the other side of the table. 

"Hey" he smiles when he sees Tom. "Take a seat, I ordered something for you, I'm sure you will like it". 

"My mom always says to no drink what you don't order" he teases and Pierre laughs. 

"As you want" he shrugs. "It's true, you look tired" 

"Yeah. It was a long day" he yawns. 

"I'm so happy to be on holiday" answers Pierre. "So, what happened yesterday?" 

Tom frowns. 

"Yesterday?" 

"Fabio had red eyes and swollen eyelids, so something had happened". 

"I don't know what happened. Like, we were in the car, and you were sleeping, and we weren't talking. And, you know, there was a strange atmosphere, so I say something, I don't know what, but something like  _ 'do you me to take you home? _ ' and he says that he forgets his charger in my house, so I offer him to drop you off to your flat, and take it and then drive him home." Pierre's nods. "And I don't remember precisely, but he says that it's OK for him, and then, he says that he doesn't want to bother me, and he adds that I have no obligation about it, and I shouldn't be nice only because he's your friend, and when I look at him, he was curled up against the car door, about to cry. I didn't know what to do, and when he added ' _ I'm sorry for ruining everythin _ _g_ ' I stopped the car and offered him a hug that he took. He did cry a lot so I soothed him as much as I could. And we wake you up when we reach the beach" he explains. 

Pierre stays silent for a moment, and Tom respects it. 

"Hm, did he say something? He's really sensitive, but, I never really saw him cry". 

"The  _ 'everything was great and I ruined everything  _ **_again_ ** **'** seems to be relative to something else that happened to him" says Tom. 

"Possible. He seems to be really comfortable around you, it takes me months to get a little closer to him". 

Tom blushes a little, and he doesn't know why. When the youngest was close to him everything was good, and now he  _ blushes _ ? 

"I don't know why" he shrugs. 

"Have you seen him today?" 

"No" 

"Were you looking for him?" asks Pierre with something different in his voice. 

"Why would I be looking for him?" 

"I don't know, but maybe you have the answer?" This time in a rather aggressive way and Tom frowns.

"What are you doing?" 

"He's sixteen if you don't know. You're twenty-one, you saw the problem?" he says ironically. 

"What are you talking about?" answers Tom with the same tone. 

"You know what I'm talking about". 

"You also know that I'm not into men, and even, it's none of your business". 

Pierre is about to respond to something, but someone catches his attention, and he smiles. 

"Hey Jak, how are you?" he asks with a nice tone. 

Jak takes a seat, and they start to talk quietly. After ten minutes, Tom takes from his pocket a 10-euro bill and puts it next to his untouched drink. He gets up without a word and goes to the beach. He barely hears Pierre and Jak calling his name, but he doesn't turn over. 

On his way, he thinks about Pierre's behaviour, and what happens next. He's hurt, but he doesn't want to bother someone so he just walks on this beach. Happy people enjoy their happiness around him, while he sits and looks at the beautiful sea, alone. 

He wonders why yesterday was a great day, and why today is so different. Was yesterday just a one-stand something? He hopes not. After a long moment where he just looks at the magnificent view and when the sun starts to set, he goes back to his house. He feels sad and tired, what could he do instead of sleeping and hoping for a better tomorrow? 

He barely eats and takes a shower, before slipping into the sheets. This night, he doesn't even have time to turn off the lights, that he's already sleeping. He wakes up the first time around three o'clock, and he's still tired and sad, so he just rolls on his stomach, and closes his eyes again. When his alarm rings a few hours later, nothing has changed. 

He takes a shower, dresses, does his hair, eats something, and takes his car to go to the beach. He doesn't turn the radio on. He doesn't know why he feels that bad. And it's when he sees the beach that he remembers that he should be tomorrow on a road trip with Fabio, some friends and Pierre. What a mess. He doesn't know how he will deal with it. Maybe cancelling the trip is the solution? 

He doesn't have time to think about it because he doesn't have a second in the morning. This when he's about to eat that he takes his phone and frowns when he sees many texts. 

_ I am sorry about yesterday.  _

_ I know it doesn't excuse anything, but I am very protective about Fabio, I couldn't explain to you why, but this is the reason.  _

_ I would understand if you don't want to see me for a while, but I would like to speak with you in person.  _

_ I am sorry again. - Pierre.  _

What is he supposed to do in this situation? He thinks about Jak - he's really close to Pierre, it would help. So he calls Jak. 

_ [Tom?  _

_ Yes, um.. I'm.. _

_ Calling you to speak about what happened yesterday with Pierre?  _

_ Yes- How do you know?  _

_ Pierre told me. So Fabio is like a little brother for Pierre, this is why he's very protective over him. He called me last night and he's very sorry. Really sorry.  _

_ Like a little brother?  _

_ Yes. They always were close to each other, because they are quite similar in some things, but something brought them closer. You should talk with Pierre.  _

_ He already texts me- but I wanted to talk with you before. Thank you.  _

_ Anytime. Call me whenever you want.]  _

Tom is sitting on a chair, in front of the sea and is looking at his phone. He doesn't know what to answer.

_ Yeah, we should talk about what happened yesterday.  _

_ I finish at 6. _

And he goes back to work. He doesn't reflect on it, he just does his work. When he has a break around 3, he takes his phone and sees that Pierre might have answered because he had unread texts. 

_ Thank you _

_ It's perfect for me, I will wait for you at our favourite beach - Pierre.  _

Tom reflects about which beach he's talking about, and he nods to himself when he understands. 

_ Perfect _

The appointment time is approaching and this is when he realizes what is going on. He keeps repeating in his mind ' _ everything is gonna be alright, he's one of your best mates' _ . He needs his car to join Pierre. He stops as close as he could, and gets out of the car. There's a light wind that messes his hair up. He takes a deep breath and starts to walk. There are some people who are walking or running beside the waves. He knows where Pierre is. He's incredibly calm. He sees the end of the beach, where there's a little recess. Pierre is sitting cross-legged on the sand, and his face seems to light up when he sees Tom. 

"Hey" says Tom. 

Pierre stands up and almost runs to Tom, pulling him into a hug. Tom smiles and hugs back. 

"I was so scared you wouldn't see me anymore" he confessed. "I know you, but I was an asshole yesterday and I would have understood". 

Tom pulls away, and sits on the sand, Pierre does the same.

"I agree, you were an asshole yesterday" answers Tom. "But I know you're nice, and you might have reasons to react like that".

"I'm very sorry, really, really sorry. It's because, when it's about Fabio, I'm always really protective because some people around him aren't well-intentioned. I'm very sorry, you both are free to do whatever you want, I know you would never hurt him on purpose".

"I'm not angry at you anymore, but I was really sad yesterday" he answered. 

"I'm really sorry, I promise to never do that again - but if you hurt him I'll break my promise". 

"I will never hurt him on purpose, he's too precious" answers Tom, and his cheeks blush a little at the end of his sentence. 

"I know" says Pierre. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, you're cute with each other" he smiles. 

They spend the evening together, eating somewhere. Tom eventually goes back to his own house, and before going to bed, his phone rings meaning that he receives a text. 

_ Pierre gives me your number. _

_ It's Fabio.  _

_ I know we leave at 2 PM, but there's a place I want to show you. We could maybe take breakfast or a meal there? Depends on the hour you're gonna wake up. - unknown.  _

Tom can't help but smiles. Is Fabio inviting him to a special place for him? 

_ Hey _

_ Would be nice :)  _

_ I can set an alarm.  _

_ At what time are you free?  _

Tom turns the lights off and goes under the sheets. 

_ 10 o'clock?  _

_ I'm going running, so we could meet at your flat and we go together?  _

_ Perfect.  _

_ Texts me when you're about to come _

_ Have a good night :)  _

_ You too :)  _

_ See you tomorrow.  _

This time, Tom goes to sleep calmly and sleep well. He doesn't remember what he has dreamed about, but he has good memories from his night. He gets up, goes in the shower, and dresses casually. It's only twenty past nine, but he's ready. He goes on the sofa with a book and waits for the youngest. 

_ I'm on my way - Fabio.  _

_ I'm waiting for you _

In less than ten minutes, someone is ringing his bell, and Tom gets up to open the door. Tom was waiting for a sweaty and red cheeks Fabio, but he's not. He's well dressed, even if his hairs are still a little wet. 

"I see you're ready" smiles Fabio. "I hope you will like it". 

"I'm sure I will" he answers. "We need a car?" 

"We could use it, but it will be better without" says Fabio, but Tom feels that he's a little insecure. 

"I like to walk a lot so it's perfect" he says, smiling. 

So they leave the house, and they start to talk happily, laughing as if they have always known each other. It's refreshing and enjoyable. They stop in front of a nice little building. 

"This is something special. It's a concept from Japan. It's like a café but with cats inside. They're also doing lovely food" explains Fabio. "I asked Pierre and he said you're not allergic to cats, but if you're not into it, we could move to another place" adds Fabio quickly. 

"No, no it's perfect" Tom tries to reassure him. "I love cats. I vaguely heard about it and I really wanted to go so it's perfect". 

They get inside, and Tom is overwhelmed by all the cats who are sleeping here and there. Some people are sitting down to tables, and seem to enjoy their moment here. They reach the counter and order different things and find themselves a table. They smile at each other and happily start a new conversation. Everything seems to be easy with each other. 

Time flies, and noon strikes. They look strangely in each other's eyes, and they decide to eat together at Tom's house but they stop by Fabio's house to collect his things. They cook together and eat. Once it's done, they go outside, enjoying the sun and waiting for Pierre to come. 

Tom is laying down on a deck chair, while Fabio is sitting on the grass, his hands behind him and his legs extended in front of him, closed eyes. Even if he wants to do something else, Tom can't detach his eyes from this so perfect body. He's ashamed, because he has no right to do that, and he thinks that Fabio deserves so much better than someone like him who couldn't have a  _ 'normal' _ friendship with him. How would he react if he knows that Tom is looking at him? He finally turns his eyes away, and closes them as well. 

The thing he doesn't know is that Fabio's eyes are also attracted by his well built and tanned body. He doesn't know either why, because he had always been attracted to the female body. He also had some girlfriends, when he was a child in France, but also more recently in Spain, so he doesn't understand why he thinks that Tom's body is so perfect. ' _ Because it's the case? _ ' he thinks, but he knows that it's more than that and that scares him. 

He finally feels uncomfortable on the floor, so he gets up to walk to a deck chair, but his eyes find Tom, laying on his back, his arms crossed behind his head, so his t-shirt went back and let see his well-defined abs. His legs are a little spread so he can see all the muscles in his tight - and this is the hottest thing Fabio has seen in his life. He jumps when he hears the bell, and quickly he goes to the door to escape from this magnificent sight. 

Pierre seems to be surprised to see Fabio's here, but he just smiles. "Why have you red cheeks?" he asks with a smirk. 

Fabio's eyes widened. 

"We're in the garden, so I ran to open the door, so you're not waiting" he lies. 

They heard steps, and Tom is now behind Fabio, with a smile and he greets Pierre. 

"So I call David and Clara, they will be there around 9 or 10 because she had an appointment this afternoon. And Paul will be there around 7" says Tom and the other nod. "So, are we going?" He adds. 

"Yeah" answers Pierre and Fabio nod again. 

They put their bags in the root, Pierre goes on the back seat, so Fabio takes the front one. They put some music on, and they leave Nice. Quickly the landscape changes, and now, there are mountains. When Tom is about to have a break, Pierre and Fabio are sleeping, so he doesn't cut the engine to let them sleep. He goes out of the car and walks a little around it to stretch his legs a little. And he's back in the car, the other still fast asleep. After one or two minutes spent on Instagram, he takes the road again. 

Fabio is the first one to wake up, ten minutes before they reach their destination. Still half-asleep, he asks Tom where they are, and they start to talk happily to each other, with a lot of smiles. Pierre, who has barely opened one eye sees it and he can't help but find them cute. They are talking about food, of what he understands, and they are describing to each other how to make their favourite meal. 

The car finally stops, in front of a house made of wood, who looks like a chalet. They take their things and go inside. 

"There are five bedrooms, one on the ground floor, three on the first floor, and one on the top floor. So, you're free to choose the one you want - apart from the one on the ground floor" smiles Tom. "I will make you visit". 

Tom shows them the first floor with three bedrooms, bathrooms, and a large playroom with two sofas, snooker, TV with a Playstation, and other game stuff. And the last floor, with one bedroom and a private living room. He also shows them the ground floor with the kitchen, the living room, and the garden with a beautiful view of the mountains. 

Fabio and Pierre chose rooms on the first floor with a balcony. 

It's half past five and they are resting on the sofa. Fabio and Pierre are talking while Tom takes a nap. Pierre offers Fabio to go to the garden, but he declines politely. Pierre smiles and nods before leaving the room. 

Fabio takes his phone and responds to the texts he has, while Tom barely opens an eye and moves around a bit to be more comfortable. He spots Fabio next to him, and he unconsciously comes closer to him. Fabio smiles and he carefully pulls him closer. Tom's head is now on the cushion on the seat of the sofa, next to Fabio's tight. One of Fabio's hands finds his way on silky hairs. Tom almost purrs at the contact. Finally, his head rests on Fabio's tights and there, with his hand in his hair, it's almost heaven. 


	6. Chapter 6

Fabio also falls asleep. It's a knock on the door that wakes him up. He hears steps, and when he opens an eye, he vaguely sees Pierre. He closes his eyes again, too tired. 

"Did you have a good trip?" he asks. 

Fabio can't understand the answer. 

"Yes but he's sleeping at the moment" 

"Oh, I didn’t know he had a boyfriend" he hears from a voice he doesn't know. 

"Because it's not" laughs Pierre. 

_ Boyfriend _ ? This world doesn't want to leave his mind. So, an unknown guy just walk in and find that they're looking like a  _ couple _ ? Fabio has nothing against gay people, so it's not really a problem for him, but what if Tom is against that and never wants him close again because he's disgust of it? Even if Tom seems to be a good guy, he doesn't know him enough to know those things. 

Thinking too much to sleep, Fabio opens his eyes and takes his phone. He scrolls through Instagram, while Tom is still fast asleep on his lap. One of his friends posted a picture with him top-less on a swimming pool, and Fabio is looking with attention, no, he's examining his muscled body, and apart from the fact that it's objectively  _ good-looking _ , he's not  _ attracted  _ to this guy. But when he saw a small part of Tom's body earlier this day, he had a dry mouth. Is he  _ attracted _ by Tom? His eyes widened - no, he couldn't. Tom is looking at him as a friend, and he's not sure of it anyway. 

"What are you thinking about?" suddenly asks Tom and Fabio jump, and in the process, Tom's head falls from his tights. When he sees that he excuses himself many times, and Tom just laughs and puts his head back on his lap.

"Hey, it's not a big deal" he laughs. "I'm alright and everything is" Tom adds when he sees that Fabio is not laughing. "What were you thinking about to be this far in your thoughts and being that scared?" Fabio is still silent, not knowing what to answer. "Was it about me?" he giggles and when he sees Fabio's red cheeks, he understands. "Hey, don't be ashamed. I dreamed about you during my nap" he winks, and Fabio's cheeks are redder than before. 

"About  _ me _ ?" asks incredulously Fabio. 

"Hum hum. Do you want to know what it was about?". 

Fabio nods. 

"So I am in the woods - I don't know why, but it doesn't matter - so I'm walking through trees and plants. I don't know why, but sometimes I turn on the left or on the right as I know where I’m going. After a moment, I see a large group of people who are all sitting on white chairs, and they are all looking at someone on a little stage, and there's someone behind - a wedding. I'm not invited, I know it, but I take a chair. A beautiful girl is waiting, with a magnificent white dress. I see her long ginger hair nicely done. And then, everybody's look is attracted by someone in a beautiful blue suit. There is music, violin, and the man is coming towards us. And the more he got closer, the more I found him handsome. This is when he's a few yards away from me, that I recognize you. My eyes open wide, and I see you walking to her, but I know she's not good for you, so I couldn't stay still and silent. And then, when the man asks you if you want to take her in marriage, I get up and say ' _ no you shouldn't, she's not good for you _ '. You look at me with strange eyes, and then, I wake up" says Tom. 

"What happens next?" 

"I don't know, I wake up" he shrugs. 

But, he's lying. He knows what happened next. Fabio runs to him, and kisses him, with passion, and Tom has butterflies in his stomach only thinking about it. And when they eventually pull apart, Fabio says ' _ you were always my first choice, I was hoping that you would show yourself here to take me back. I love you so, so much _ ' and then, they kissed again. He's too disturbed by the end of this dream to reveal it, and even less to the main concerned people.

“So you were dreaming about my wedding?" and this time Fabio is lightly laughing.

“Yes. It was beautiful, with white and light pink flowers everywhere.” 

“Have you ever thought about getting married one day?” asks the younger one.

‘ _ Yes _ ’ he thinks, but he knows it’s not the right moment to talk about it.

“I think everybody ever thinks about it” and simply answers after a moment.

While he was reflecting, Fabio understands that it’s a sensitive topic, and he takes a note to never ask again - maybe one of his previous relationships doesn’t end well. He’s more experienced than him anyway, he may have already thought about getting married, and maybe having a child as well. And he doesn’t really know why these thoughts hurt him a little.

“You’re awake?” asks Pierre when he enters the room, even if he sees them talking. “Paul’s here”.

Tom moves a little and gets up, Fabio does the same and they go outside. Tom is still smiling because it’s someone he knows and likes, but Fabio never sees him, and he was thinking that he was Tom’s boyfriend, and this can’t go out of his mind. Tom may feel him a bit tense because he wraps an arm around his shoulders, and even if it’s nice, it will maybe make this guy think that they are  _ together  _ and they aren’t. His mouth opens a little when he sees the outside of the chalet. It’s breathtaking. With the mountains, it's amazing. 

“You like it?” asks Tom with a grin.

“It’s beautiful”.

They reach a table where the guy called Paul is sitting. The latter gets up and embraces Tom with a big smile. He completely ignores Fabio who is standing near Tom, and he doesn’t know what to do. Tom puts a hand on his shoulder to bring him closer, and then he crosses his arms around Fabio’s chest, standing behind him.

“This is Fabio” he says happily. “I only met him a few days ago, but I really like him”. Fabio blushes lightly. “And this is Paul, we met--” 

“You’re friends with  _ children  _ now?” says Paul, mocking and cutting Tom on his sentence. 

Fabio feels Tom’s grip tightening around him. He’s relieved that Tom doesn’t find this funny either.

“He’s not a child, so be nice with him” he answers coldly.

Without saying another word, Tom detaches himself while keeping a hand on one of Fabio’s shoulders, leading them to the table. They sit beside each other, and there is a strange atmosphere. 

“What happened? I’m leaving for two minutes and when I’m back, the atmosphere is tense” sighs Pierre. 

“I just made a joke but Tom has no humor” explains Paul.

“He was mocking Fabio because he’s the youngest here” says Tom when Pierre looks at him.

“It’s not funny Paul” judges Pierre.

“So, now, we aren’t free to say whatever we want?” adds Paul raising his eyebrows.

“Not when it’s teasing”.

“And you’re his bodyguards now? Because I don’t even hear his voice”.

When Fabio crosses his eyes, he knows that he won’t leave him alone. It’s not the first time he meets someone who takes a dislike to him. Tom and Pierre sigh, so there is a gap. Finally, Pierre starts a topic of conversation that Fabio doesn’t listen to, too far in his thoughts. He’s thinking about his past, those guys who were always mocking him for no reason, and every time, he doesn’t know how to defend himself, so he depends on the others, and he hates himself for that. 

This is a hand on his tight that brings him back to reality and present. He sees that he wants to ask him if everything is OK, so Fabio smiles at him. But Tom is still watching him, as if he asks ‘ _ you sure? _ ’ so Fabio nods. 

‘So, Fab- io?” Fabio is sure he mispronounces his name on purpose, so he just nods with an annoyed air. “You might be bored with our  _ adult conversations _ , so what do you do at school?” he says with a condescending air.

“I don't go to school anymore. I'm a rider, in the Moto 3 world championship” simply answers Fabio.

“You're what?” frowns Paul.

“Maybe you should see a specialist for your ears” he says. “I said, I-am-a-rider-in-the-moto-3-world-championship” He says, articulating excessively. “Do I have to repeat it again or-?” he adds when Paul isn't answering. 

“ _ Moto 3 World championship _ ?” he laughs. “Be realistic, you're at best in the 70cm3 class” he laughs. 

“I won the title of this class in 2009, and the 80cm3’s in 2011, the 125 cm3's in 2012, and I also won two times the Moto3 Junior championship in 2013 and 2014. So yeah, I’m in the Moto 3 world championship” answers Fabio with a smile, and Pierre and Tom are smiling as well.

“And why should I believe you?”

“Just tap my name on google, you’ll find my Wikipedia page” he winks.

“You’re what, thirteen, fourteen? So stop dreaming” tease Paul.

“As I said, just write ‘ _ Fabio Q-U-A-R-T-A-R-A-R-O _ ’ on google and you’ll see."

Tom has to say that he's fascinated by this Fabio. He’s confident, and dares to respond to Paul. He’s proudly sitting on this chair, sharp-eyed. Nothing seems to hurt him, and Tom is really proud of him. When Paul is about to respond, Pierre speaks.

“Paul, it’s enough. Fabio is not a child, he's a teenager - a teenager if you want - but he is not less than you because of his age. He deserves respect. You’re also younger than Tom, so keep quiet. He’s more talented than you will never be in your life, so leave him alone. Nobody’s asking you to like him, so if it's too much for you to be nice, just don’t speak with him. And you know I won’t say it twice” he says firmly.

After that, he doesn’t speak again with Fabio, but Tom's hand is still on Fabio's knee, as support. The discussion moves on to other things, and when Tom asks Fabio what he wants to drink, Pierre says before Paul has time to reflect “Drink whatever you want, fruit juice or something  _ stronger _ , it doesn’t matter”. And when he chooses a fruit juice, Tom takes the same with blacks eyes towards Paul.

Tom has known him for many years, and he’s one of his best mates, but sometimes, he really wonders why. It’s not the first time he’s doing that. Last time, it was with Pierre’s last girlfriend. She was really nice and a bit shy, so he was always making her negative comments, remarks and was criticizing everything she did, so Pierre has to step in. And this time, it’s with Fabio. He doesn’t understand why. Is he afraid of being dropped? Tom doesn’t know, but he’s not going to let him do, Fabio doesn’t deserve that - nobody deserves that.

Later, David and Clara arrived. Tom feels Fabio a bit tense, maybe he worries that they would be like Paul, so he stepped closer and spoke in his ear. 

"I promise they are nice and will behave well towards you. If they don't, I will stop them, so don't worry I've got you" 

Fabio blushes, but, hopefully, it's too dark outside for anyone to notice. 

David and Clara introduced themselves, and are very nice, so Fabio now relaxes, but Tom watches over him just in case. 

The evening goes by quickly, it's 3 in the morning, and Fabio starts yawning - he's not the only one though. 

"You want to go to bed?" asks Tom who makes sure to have the younger one next to him to keep an eye on him. 

"Not now" whispers Fabio while looking somewhere in the room. 

Tom frowns, and follows Fabio's look, and sees Paul talking with Pierre. Is he scared of going to bed alone and that something might happen to him? 

"If you don't want to be alone on the first floor, you can go in my bedroom" says Tom.

Fabio's eyes widen, and he looks at the floor.

"No, no. It's nice, but I don't want to bo- I will sleep there" he says.

Tom could see that the younger one is scared of Paul. He sees the worry in his eyes and that breaks his heart knowing that he is responsible for his justified fear. 

"I promise it's not a bother. Your reasons are legitimate, and it's not making you weak. I would have done the same if the roles had been reversed". 

"But it's your bedroom" says Fabio who looks uncomfortable, but seems to find some safety in this offer. 

"The bed is big, I'll join you later" he smiles. "You're safe, and as long you want me by your side, I will watch over you" he adds, sincerely. "I will collect your things, wait for me here". 

He gets up, and out of the corner of his eyes, he sees the youngest chatting with Clara and David, and he smiles. He quickly climbs the stairs, sees Fabio's room and collects everything he sees, and discreetly, he puts it in his own room, and he comes back in the living room. 

"Now, you could go to sleep whenever you want, and be safe" he whispers in his ear and Fabio feels something warm through his body and he smiles. 


	7. Chapter 7

It's late, or early, Fabio doesn't know anymore. He's next to Tom who is talking with David, while he speaks with Clara, who is really nice. He enjoys his time here, happy to feel Tom's arm around his shoulders, and if he wasn't speaking, he would sleep with the comfort it gives him. 

"You seem to be really tired, go to sleep if you want" smiles Clara. "We can continue this discussion tomorrow". 

Fabio yawns and Tom laughs. 

"Go to sleep" he says with a smile and a hand on his back. 

Fabio gets up, and smiles at Pierre who is sitting on another sofa with Paul, Pierre understands and smiles back and he can read on his lips ' _ goodnight _ '. He says goodnight also to Clara and David, and of course, to Tom. He quickly reaches Tom's bedroom. It's cozy, all made with wood and warm colours. There is a big bed, probably king-sized, with a big blue fluffy blanket, and a lot of coloured cushions. He stretches his arms and his back and approaches his bag to take a hoodie and a large tracksuit to be comfortable. He looks around him and he feels a little discomforted to be in someone else's private room - even if it's not his real bedroom. Without thinking much about it, he turns off the lights and slips under the sheets. His eyes close quickly and he falls into a heavy sleep, lulled by the sound of the wind against the facade. 

A few hours later, David and Clara go to sleep on the last floor, and there is only Tom, Pierre and Paul in the living room. The atmosphere is still tense. 

"So Paul, as you must know, your behavior was wrong earlier with Fabio. As Pierre says, we aren't asking you to like him, or spend time with him, or anything which is related to him other than respect him. He didn't do anything to you, and I like him, Pierre also, so, please, be nice" says firmly Tom. 

"You know why" only answers Paul while shrugging. 

"But it's not a reason to be mean. You hurt him, and he doesn't deserve that, and you know it" tells Pierre. 

"You really like him Tom, no? Enough to let him sleep in your bed? However, you know he is underage". 

"I offer him to sleep there because he was scared you might do something  _ bad _ to him at night. He was  _ scared  _ of you" he says once again firmly. "Is that what you want people to think about you?" 

Paul stays silent for some seconds, reflecting. 

"But you don't say 'no' when I ask you if you were liking him though". 

"That's not the subject. If he likes him, it's his and Fabio's problem, none of our business. And it doesn't matter. Whether they are friends or more, it doesn't change the fact that your behaviour was problematic. It's the last time I see you behave like that towards him, or anybody else that does nothing wrong. Is it clear? Fabio is important for me too, he's the one who is always there for me when I don't know anybody in Spain, and he's still really important. So, if you truly like Tom and me, respect the ones we love, because you're not only hurting him, but it also hurts me to see him like that, and also Tom - and you're not happy either. So I don't know where the problem is, but we won't - Tom or me - leave you. We truly like you, so don't worry about that if it's the problem" says Pierre. 

Tom agrees and nothing is added. Paul seems to understand, so they all go to sleep. 

Tom tries to be as silent as possible when he's near his bedroom's door to not bother Fabio. The room is in the dark, so he uses the brightness of his phone to illuminate the room enough to reach the bed without bumping into anything. He quickly gets changed into something more comfortable and comes closer to the bed. Fabio is in a small ball completely on the other side of the mattress. Tom checks if he had enough coverage, and slips also to bed, keeping enough space between them. 

He is on his back, eyes open, he couldn't sleep, he keeps thinking about Fabio. Why is everybody thinking there are a couple? Even Clara and David have asked him since when they were together.  _ Being together.  _ What does it mean? Would it mean that they  _ love _ each other? Of course, they love each other, but, not in this way, no? He doesn't see him  _ kissing _ Fabio - it was so easy in his dream although. Of course, he was happy around the younger one, but he doesn't see himself  _ being _ with him as a  _ couple.  _ And, he will turn 21 at the end of November, while Fabio is only  _ sixteen.  _ It's not even legal, he couldn't think about it. 

He turns his head in his direction when he hears him making a light sound in his sleep. He deserves really better than someone like Tom. He deserves someone that would love him unconditionally, support him every time he would need it, who will make him happy, take good care of him because he's really precious. He hears the typical noise of a rustling of sheets, he looks again in Fabio's direction and he's now in the middle of the bed. His eyes are still closed and he seems to be fast asleep. Tom is still on his back, his head in the direction of Fabio who moves closer - he had to say it's cute to see him coming closer to him, but could he let him do it? And finally, they touch. When Fabio rolls on his stomach, his elbow touches Tom's waist. He feels Fabio's heat near him, and nobody will know that he may move a little closer towards Fabio, and let him sleep against him. He feels so good, so  _ right _ like this - maybe even more than the previous times they have slept together. And less than a second later, Tom is sleeping. 

At one point Fabio felt safe and surrounded by warmth and it was a great time, this is the reason for his smile when he wakes up. His eyes are still closed, but he really feels safe and good. It's when he starts to open his eyes that he understands. He's lying half on top of Tom's chest, and the feeling of safety is probably from his arms around Fabio's body to keep him close. Even though he's really embarrassed because he crossed the bed to enter Tom's personal space, he feels good here. So good. He prays to stay like this for many years - he never feels this feeling of serenity before. He feels like he's protected from the wicked world outside, that nothing bad will never happen to him again. He feels safe and  _ loved _ . But when he thinks about it, it's just a simple hug. Maybe it means nothing to Tom, just an old habit he had taken with his last girlfriend? And this thought breaks something in Fabio's heart, and he doesn't want to know why. It's too painful. 

This is the main problem with Fabio: he is always too much. He doesn't know the happy medium. When he loves or likes someone, it's always with his whole heart. He gives all of himself to the other. And usually, it ends badly - with Fabio's heartbroken. He's one of those optimistic people who always look on the bright side of everything, everybody, without seeing the bad side. He was surely blessed by the angels, because there was always someone to help him heal his ever more bruised heart. But he's already so attached to Tom, maybe it would be too much for his poor little heart already so hurt to lose Tom for something as stupid like that. Tom is too precious for him to risk losing him like this, so stupidly. ' _ And why is someone as perfect as Tom would like someone like me? I'm only sixteen, Paul is right, I'm still a child and he's almost an adult. He's looking for a beautiful and nice and funny young girl who will have experience and be good at everything - what I'm not and will never be. _ ' This breaks Fabio's heart even more, as if it were possible. 

Suddenly, he feels Tom's arms being wrapped tighter around him. No matter how much he tries to ignore that powerful, soothing feeling of being in the arms of someone he truly likes, he just can't. He knows that holding on to him even more is only going to break his heart more deeply, but it's stronger than him. Being by Tom's side and arms are so easy, and he feels so good with him that he'd rather suffer his loss than walk away from him.

"Shhh" he hears. "It's alright. Nothing bad is going to happen, I've got you."

He feels himself cradling in Tom's arms. 

"Have you had a dream?" murmurs Tom while kissing the top of his head on his hair.

"What?" he answers with a broken voice. 

"You're crying" Tom whispers and that's when Fabio notices his own tears on Tom's clothes. The older one has one hand on Fabio's hair, and the other draws circles on his back. "Didn't you realize it?" he asks surprised - but not in a good way.

Fabio shakes his head negatively. 

"You must be really sad then, if you don't even notice your own tears" whispers Tom in a way he can't decipher. 

Without any warning, Fabio starts sobbing. And he doesn't know it, but seeing him so sad also breaks Tom's heart. He noticed that holding the youngest close and tight is soothing him, so he does it. Even though he doesn't want to be intrusive, he knows that talking helps - it has helped him a lot in the past.

"If you want to talk about what makes you feel this sad, I will always be there. Pierre is also a good listener, but I bet you already know it" he says softly. 

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it, it's- I don't know why I am so sad. Am I abnormal?" Fabio's voice breaks again. 

"I don't think you're abnormal, because there is no  _ normal.  _ Sometimes our body knows things that our mind ignores, or chooses to ignore and it makes us feel sad. Also, everybody has his own sensitivity. Some people are feeling everything harder than others. It means that they are happier when it's about nice things, but it also means that grief hurts them more. It's not being a ' _ crybaby _ ', it's just having a bigger and greater sensitivity, and there is nothing wrong with it" one of Tom's hands is moving soothingly on his back. "Teenage years are difficult for everybody because everything is changing - you're not an adult yet, but not a child either. And, in your case, your championship must generate so much stress that it is normal to evacuate it from time to time so as not to explode. Don't worry about that, I also used to cry a lot in the past, there is nothing wrong about it. Not having emotion is much worse, you just have to learn to control them under certain conditions - but never with me, I like you the way you are". 

Tom's words seem to be so true to Fabio's mind. And they seem to heal something deep inside him. So he snuggles even closer to Tom. 

"Thank you - for everything. I didn't deserve someone as perfect as you" he murmurs in Tom's hoodie. 

"You deserve more than me. You deserve the world" whispers Tom. 

Fabio stands up abruptly, with his hands on each side of Tom's chest to look into his eyes, to be sure it's a lie, a pretty lie. But the only thing he sees is infinite tenderness, and he could cry only by that sight because it's doing something to his fragile heart. He just smiles and snuggles with Tom again, his head in the crook of his neck. Tom could swear he felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of Fabio. Even with the red eyes and swollen eyelids, and tears running down his cheeks, he could swear that he is the most beautiful human being he has ever seen.

He cradles him for some minutes, and Fabio falls asleep again, closer to him than ever - he doesn't think they could physically get closer. His left hand still on his hair, and the other protectively wrapped around Fabio's body. And without realizing it, he also falls asleep in their bubble.


	8. Chapter 8

They wake up around 11, and this time it’s quieter. Fabio is still lying on top of Tom’s chest, while Tom's arms are wrapped around the younger one. They both know that the other is also awake, but they are just good like this. Fabio loves hearing Tom’s heartbeats against his ear, and Tom loves feeling Fabio's warm breath in his neck. This is incredibly intimate, but they both love it. Only each other's presence. 

They eventually get up when they hear noises in the house. Without saying a word, they both move at the same moment. Fabio rolls on his side, and they look at each other for some seconds out of time, they smile at each other before pulling their eyes away - both of them suddenly shy. 

“I let you use the bathroom first. I’m gonna see who's awake” says softly Tom with a smile.

Fabio nods and smiles back. There is a strange atmosphere between them. It’s not as tense as it was yesterday between Tom and Paul, it’s not like this morning when Fabio was crying, it’s new and incredibly soft. They are like in a bubble. A bubble full of softness. 

With a last smile, Tom leaves the bedroom, and Fabio goes to the bathroom while yawning. He takes a warm shower, dresses and while he’s washing his teeth, some toothpaste unfortunately falls from his toothbrush right on his hoodie, making a big dirty mark in the middle of it. He pouts, tired of his own clumsiness and sighs. He goes back to the bedroom and sees another hoodie on the bed. He doesn’t reflect much about it and wears it. He smiles despite himself when he smells Tom’s now-familiar scent. He hopes nobody’s gonna notice it, because it would be difficult to explain why he is wearing one of Tom’s hoodies, as if it isn’t enough to sleep not only in Tom’s bedroom, but also in his bed. It’s not like others are thinking they are dating thought, at least, it would give them more reasons to believe it.

At the moment Fabio grabs the door handle, someone is trying to open on the other side. He takes off his hand and walks back to let the other come in. He’s smiling because he believes it’s Tom on the other side, but his smiles fall when he sees Paul. He looks down and steps back. 

“Can I come in?” asks softly Paul.

Fabio frowns when he doesn’t see any sign of hostility in Paul’s behavior, so he shyly nods.

“I would like to talk to you. I promise I won’t hurt you in any way. And if you want, Tom can come as well” he says as soft as he could. “You could say no if you don’t want it. I would understand and you have to do what _you_ want” he adds when he sees Fabio has no reaction.

“It’s OK” eventually responds Fabio, this time looking in his blue eyes. “But not here, in the garden?”

“It’s all good for me. Thank you for letting me talk to you”.

Without a word, they reach the garden, far from the house, far from the others and just in front of a breathtaking landscape. They sat in silence. 

"So you wanted to talk to me?" Finally says Fabio hesitantly. 

"Yes. First of all, I want to apologize. I'm really sorry for what I said and did yesterday. You didn't deserve this. What I will explain to you is the explanation of my behavior, not a justification. I know what I did is wrong" says Paul. 

"I'm listening to you" quietly tells Fabio, his eyes still on the mountains. 

"Thank you. I have always been very protective of my friends, and when everybody around you starts to turn eighteen and after, they all start to get girlfriends or boyfriends - it's a normal thing. You're maybe in a relationship or have been with someone in the past, so you may understand. When you meet _the_ person, you're really happy, and you spend all of your time with this person, and once again, it's normal. I'm not scared about losing my friends, because I completely understand the difference between the person they love and me who is a friend. But, what I'm scared of is them to be mean or bad with my friends" he explains with a tranquil voice. 

"I understand everything about that" says Fabio. 

"Great" he nods with a small smile on his lips. "When I was a child, my parents were still married. They really seem to be happy from outside, even for their friends, but it was a lie. I'm the oldest, and I have two little brothers who are two and three years younger, so we were looking like a happy family - even if people were making comments because she had three boys. When I was around 5, my mom was pregnant for the fourth time, and both of them seemed to be really happy. They _really_ wanted to have a girl. And it was a girl. They were happier than ever, and with my brothers, we suddenly felt lonely. Around six months of pregnancy, my mom started to have a lot of pain, so they went to see a specialist, and what they heard that day changed everything. They were about to lose the baby, the one they _always_ wanted. So, when they were back at the house, they said ' _we lost the baby_ ' and that was all. My mom made a big depression, and my dad keeps reproaching her the loss, same with my brothers and me. Some months after, he started dating someone else, and finally, my mom does the same. Because I was the oldest and the more aware of the situation, I took care of my brothers - they mean the world to me. When I was 10 my parents divorced. Nor my mother or father wanted us, they said we were a burden. They had redone their lives with someone else and we bothered them in their new life, so we finally moved to live with our grandparents and our parents had to come to see us from time to time" he adds. 

It remains silent for a moment, and Fabio just waits for him to talk, giving him time. 

"The reason I was like that, is because I'm afraid that their partner can do what my father did. Being too nice and gentle at the beginning, and finally changing into someone mean or violent or something bad. My dad was really kind to us - my brothers, my mom and me - and it has started to change when they lose the baby. He was always yelling at us - my brothers and me - blaming us for the loss for every stupid thing we're passing through his mind. But quickly, he had started to be violent, first by talking, and quickly, he was pushing us against walls. He has slammed me many times and in the end, just before he divorced my mum, he was hitting with his fists. From outside, everybody was thinking he was nice and kind and caring and everything, but he was a demon once the doors were closed. I don't think you could change as drastically as he did, you seem to be deeply kind. I think that his violence has always been somewhere in him and their loss was an excuse to let him out, and we were three children, so an easy target. I know how appearances can be misleading, so I'm always suspicious when it comes to people I like, because I do not want them to live what I have lived. I know it's not the right way to do it - Pierre made me understand that - and I am really and sincerely sorry for everything I did yesterday, I would totally understand if you don't want to see me anymore" he says while looking at Fabio. 

"I haven't known Tom for a long time, but I know Pierre, and he trusts you, and he only trusts the people he loves, and he does not like anyone. So, I think I could forgive you. You know it was wrong, you are sorry for that and you came to find me to explain, then you deserve a second chance. I think everyone has the right to error as long as they recognize it and not to redo it." he smiles. "I would maybe have done the same thing I was in your situation. Wanting to protect the ones we love is a normal and even more legitimate thing for you. I'm really sorry for what happened to you. If there is something I can do, let me know" he says kindly. 

"Thank you, thank you very much. I promise you never to behave like that again with you, or hurt you anyway - unless you hurt Tom or Pierre" he smiles back. 

And without any warning, Fabio comes closer to hug him. At first, Paul is frozen by the surprise, but finally, he squeezes him in his arms, wrapping them around Fabio's body to bring him closer to him.

This is the sight Tom has when he finally found them after looking for them all around the house and the garden. He was worried about what could happen, but it must be ok because they are hugging. His heart melts seeing that. He comes closer and puts one of his hands in Fabio's back, and he frowns when he notices he's wearing one of _his_ hoodies, the one was on the bed. He smiles without wanting it because the younger one looks _really_ good in his clothes. 

"We are waiting for you to eat. Everything is OK?" he asks to be sure. 

Paul is looking at Fabio, waiting for his answer. 

"Yes, we talked and cleared the situation. He promises to be nice with me" smiles Fabio. 

Tom, of course, finds him cute, but also Paul even if he will never admit it. They all go back to the house and eat, talking happily. Fabio is sitting between Tom and Clara and he is really happy to be here and having met Tom's friends. Paul gives him some smiles from the other side of the table and Tom who sees it is happy to see these two starting again with a clean slate. He already knows Fabio was deeply kind, but he's still impressed by his ability to see the right side of everybody at the point of forgiving easily and being around the person who hurt him, and it's a big quality for Tom's opinion even if he thinks it's dangerous. 

After a moment, Tom turns his head in the direction of Fabio, and the younger one crosses his gaze and they smile at each other and it feels like they are in their own world, far from the others, far from the mountains, just in each other's world. They are linked by Tom's hand in his knee, and Fabio feels a pleasurable heat at this point of his body. They eventually pull away when someone calls Tom's name. 

The rest of the day went by quickly, and sooner than what they were expecting, they have to collect their things because they have to come back home - some of them have things to do early the next day morning. Pierre chose to return with Pierre as they don't live far from each other. They all say goodbye to the other, sharing numbers, Instagram's accounts and invitations. 

They've been gone for almost an hour when Fabio speaks.

"Are we going to see each other again before I have to go back to Spain?" He knows it's a risky question, but he needs to know.

"I hope so" says Tom while looking at the road. "When are you leaving?" 

"Sunday morning, my plane will take off at 11 Am, but I'm gonna see my family tomorrow, so if you have time Sunday morning we could maybe see each other? But I have to ask my family first, even if I think they will be OK”.

"I would love it" responds Tom with a smile. "You got my number, so text me whenever you want".

"I'll remember it, so don't be surprised to get messages in the middle of the night" chuckles Fabio. 

"I would love to read your texts in the middle of the night" he also laughs. 

And they laughed together the whole way to Fabio's house. The car stops in front of his house, and they just look at each other's eyes without saying a word. For the first time since they knew each other, their eyes were looking somewhere other than their eyes. Fabio's suddenly found Tom's lips kissable, and the same ideas were in Tom's head about the younger one's lips. And Fabio moves first, he approaches the older one gently, putting his right hand on his cheek, his thumb against his cheekbone, and comes even closer, their hearts beating faster than ever. He approaches again, his lips settling with all the softness and gentleness of the world on Tom's cheek. They are both smiling, happy with this contact, staying against each other for a few more moments, allowing each other this new proximity, this shared intimacy. And it's the only thing they need. Eventually, they pull away, and before there's too much space between them, Tom puts his hands tenderly on each side of Fabio's neck to kiss his forehead. They smile one last time, and this time, they definitely pull away. Fabio gently opens the car door and the cool air hits his face violently, especially in comparison to the sweetness of Tom's kiss, which was so tender and sweet. Tom also escapes the car and helps Fabio with his bags and walks him back to his door, getting back to his car when Fabio rings, not going away before Fabio gets inside with one last shy smile. 

Tom grabs the steering wheel, and puts his head in the middle of it, sighting. He's so lost with Fabio. He was so close to kissing him, _kissing him_. It sounds now so _real_ , like it could happen just like that, because he _wants_ it. And even if it feels so right when they are with each other, is it okay to do such a thing? Fabio is still so young and he has to take care of him, not ruining him instead. He finally returns home, more uncertain than he has ever been.

He opens the door, it's still early, it's around 6, but he feels so lonely, so _empty_ as if he's missing something. He just sits on his couch, looking at nothing. The sound of his phone brings him out of his intense observation of nothingness. 

_Thank you very much for these last days. I really had a good time and we have some quality time together. Hope you made it home safe. Waiting to see you Sunday morning :)_ \- Fabio. 

And without any warning, he bursts into tears. As if this message was the perfect excuse. He's so fucked up and there's nothing he can do about it, like the vanes are stuck open. It's so bitter after the good time he has spent the last two days. But it's always like that in his life, a lot of happiness and the minute after, all turns into grief. Maybe that's why he understands Fabio so well, because they're not that different after all.


	9. Chapter 9

When Fabio goes inside, his mom is smiling. 

"Who's this guy? Is he your friend?" She asks softly. 

"Mom" he answers. "I already told you, you remember he's also Pierre's friend" he adds in a nonchalantly way. 

"And what's his name?" she keeps asking. 

"Thomas, but everybody calls him Tom". 

"And how did you get to know him?" 

"Is this an interrogation?" Asks Fabio, this time clearly annoyed. 

"Fabio, I'm your mom, I want answers because I care about you and I want to know better the ones you love" she says nicely. 

Fabio sights, but give up. 

"Alright, as I said, he's also Pierre's friend, so we met and we really got along. He works on a nautical base, so he introduced me with jet-ski" he smiles.

"I'm happy for you" smiles his mom. "Will you see him again before you left for Spain tomorrow?" 

"I don't know" he shrugs. "Maybe Sunday morning" he adds.. 

"You could maybe take breakfast together?" she suggests. 

“I will ask him” Fabio smiles, sending a text to Tom.

He goes back to his bedroom to wear sports clothes. He doesn't train today, and he has to, the championship is starting again soon. 

Everyone has high expectations of him, dreams of him being Moto 3 world champion in his first year, and easily otherwise. They may be wrong, because even if he had a great start, P7 in Qatar for his first-ever race in the MotoGP championship, and P2 in the USA was more than great and everybody was happy for this incredible result. Once again, people from his team, his manager, his trainer, his friends and family were more than happy when he did the pole in Spain for his fourth ever Grand Prix, but he also saw the disappointment in their eyes with his P6 at the end of the race - they were expecting more. He started training harder after that because he did not want to have to see that in their eyes anymore. He just wants them to be proud of him. Making the pole once again at the next race was so great, even more because it was in France, his  _ home _ . He was so, so proud and was already dreaming about a win on Sunday. It became a nightmare when he had to give up due to a crash after 17 laps out of 24. He was in the second position, even if the leader, Fenati, was too far in front of him but he could have made a podium in his own country, for and in front of  _ his _ public. It was one of the worst moments in his life, one of the biggest disenchantments he had in his short life. The four Grand Prix remaining before the summer break were full of ups and downs. The Italian Grand Prix was bad, he had to abandon after 9 laps. The next race in Barcelona was a little better, but it ended with a 14th place, at least it's two points for his team and the championship. He knows he could have done better. And Germany is also to be forgotten, he crashed after 5 laps. 

The worst part was that he didn't fully understand why the start was so good and why afterwards it wasn't. Were the others better once they picked up the pace? Did he do something wrong? Not enough training? Are expectations too high? It was killing him to not perform as he had to, as he did in the past. People trusted him, and he disappointed them with a crash and bad results, while his teammate was doing very great. He wonders if, in the end, he has not been overestimated the previous years. The holidays were therefore a good opportunity to be away from this stressful world which always awaits good results, in each race, as if it was possible to always be on top. But he knows that he has only one chance, only one opportunity in his life and if he is missing, he won't have another. 

He remembers when he was just a child who loved going fast. The sparkles in his dad's eyes, and all the smiles in his mom's eyes too. He remembers how many sacrifices they made for him, how hard it also was for them when he left for Spain. How kind they were when he was crying on the phone because he was missing them too much. He remembers all the tight hugs they have given him, all the smiles, the nice comments to encourage him, their way of cheering for him when they were attending races.. They were the best parents he could have dreamed of. They were so supportive, and he feels like he is disappointing them and ruining all their efforts and sacrifices. 

Meeting Tom was like having some fresh air. When he is with him he's not thinking about the championship, or about data, or his bike, or anything related to Motogp and it's so refreshing. He really enjoyed this time off, and he really wants to keep him in his life, because he feels good around him, and he hopes the same goes for Tom. He's hoping to be  _ enough  _ for him, enough to be liked or loved or appreciated by the oldest. He just hopes to be  _ enough  _ in everything in his life, whether it's his relationships, his career, everything. He's so insecure. He doesn't understand why other people seem to like him, he doesn't think he deserves their love and appreciation. He feels like an impostor. 

"Fabio?" he hears. 

He frowns and turns his head in the direction he thinks he hears his name and sees Paul running on the beach as well.

"Oh, hey" he smiles.

"Maybe we could run together? I don't know where you're going, but could we do a part together?" he offers, almost shy. 

"Sure" he nods, explaining where he's going, and Paul was about to do the same thing. 

They keep their headphones on, but it's nice to have someone to run with. When they are about to leave each other, Paul speaks. 

"It was nice. As I understand you're living in Spain, but the day you're back here, would be nice to run with you again". 

"With pleasure. I will call you, even if I'm back only for a few days" he smiles back. 

"Hope so. I'm already waiting" he laughs. "Hope to see you soon". 

"Same" he smiles again. 

He goes back to his house, running slower but he's happy with this run. He takes a shower, and eats with his family - healthy things, of course. 

Around 10, he goes to bed, and once he's comfortably settled under the sheets, he thinks about Tom again. He thinks about how good he was looking today, and the other days. He thinks about how good it is to have a hug from him, how safe he's feeling being by his side, how nice and caring and sweet and everything he is with him. He stills thinking that he doesn't deserve someone as good as him. He's just too good, too perfect for someone like him. But thinking of Tom with someone else is killing his heart, it's too painful. But in which world Tom is  _ loving _ him? Surely none, he's thinking. 

Fabio takes his phone, and he accepts with a sad face Tom's silence. He doesn't answer his text, the one he has sent many hours earlier. Maybe he has disappointed him too, maybe he has done something wrong. Maybe kissing his cheek was wrong - Tom has kissed his forehead, and it's not the same meaning. He may have misunderstood Tom's behaviour. One person is nice to him, and he falls for them. He may have scared someone who cared for him, and that breaks his heart. With news tears in his eyes, he tries to collect himself. 

Somewhere else in Nice, another boy was silently crying. He finally takes his phone, starts writing something when he sees a new text coming. 

_ Sorry, I didn't want to bother you. If you didn't want to see me tomorrow, it's OK :) Hope to see you another time then. Good night :)  _ \- Fabio. 

Tom sights. Of course, he wants to see him, so he hurries himself to respond. 

_ I'm sorry. _

_ I was about to send you something, but you are quicker 😅 _

_ Of course, I want to say goodbye to you/spend time with you. I don't know when I will see you again :)  _

_ Around 9 is good for you?  _

He really hopes Fabio isn't asleep yet because he  _ really  _ wants to see him. He knows the season will start again soon, and Fabio won't have free time before, at best, mid-November. That's why he doesn't want to waste an opportunity to see him.

Fabio smiles when he sees Tom's text. It doesn't change what he's thinking about Tom and himself, but it warms his heart. 

_ No problem :)  _

_ 9 is good, but where?  _

Tom also smiles at Fabio's answer. 

_ Surprise.  _

_ I will pick you up from your house (or somewhere here else) at 9 and then it's a surprise :) Hope you'll like it. _

Fabio's smile is bigger than ever, and he can't wait to be tomorrow. 

_ I'm sure I will love it :)  _

_ See you tomorrow then, good night & have sweet dreams.  _

_ I hope _

_ I'll text you when I left home _

_ Good night & sweet dreams too. _

The rain finally gave way to the good weather because all the rains end with the sun. 


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning arrives quickly. Fabio gets up and dresses quickly with a sports spell and takes a t-shirt even if he knows he will take it off once on the beach. His parents are still sleeping, so he tries to be as silent as he could to not wake them up. Once he passes the door, he takes a deep breath and smiles when he feels the sun's heat on his face. He quickly reaches the beach, and goes running once again. He could have called Paul, but it's still early, and he doesn't want to bother him. When he's on the beach, he takes off his shirt, and runs. It feels so good to be here, next to the sea, on an almost empty beach. It's hard to believe that in one week he will be in Indianapolis for a race - his tenth ever Grand Prix. It's strange. Like, he knows that this is the thing he loves the most to do, to watch, but he feels a little apprehensive at the idea of going racing again. It's been a few weeks, and that feeling of being fast, of leaning the bike in the corners, of fighting with others… he misses all of that. But also, it seems strange to get back there.

He has run for an hour, and then he goes back home to take a shower and dress. He already has packed his things, and has put them in the living room. So everything is ready, he just has to wait for Tom's text. While he's on the sofa, chatting with some friends he has on the paddock, he hears his mom coming into the living room. 

_ I know it's only 8:15AM, but I'm awake and ready. So, if you are ready, we could go now?  _ \- Tom. 

"Fabio?" he hears 

He looks up while smiling, still looking at Tom's message.

"I said, have you eaten something?" says he mom, going in the kitchen. 

"No yet. I will take breakfast with Tom" he smiles again. 

"You're going to the airport with him?" 

"Maybe? I don't know yet, but even if it's the case, join us there. So you will finally meet him" he smiles again. 

_ It's perfect :) _

_ I'm also ready, are we going to the airport after?  _

"Of course we will come," she grins. "Only God knows when we will see you again" she says sadly. 

He gets up, and hugs her.

"I'm sorry" he whispers. "I will talk with Eduardo, I promise". 

Quickly after that, Fabio hears his phone notify a new message. Tom saying that he just left his house and will be there soon. He gives a hug to his two parents, long, and asks them to promise that they will be at the airport, and they promise. Fabio smiles when he sees a ' _ I'm here :) _ ' from Tom. He kisses his mom cheeks, smiles at his dad and goes with his bags outside to see Tom. The latter gets out of the car to help the younger one, they quickly put them all on the boot and go in the car. 

"I'm happy to see you" smiles Fabio. 

"Same, I can't believe you will go back to Spain in a few hours. Can't you come back living in Nice, you're from here after all, no?" asks Tom softly. 

"I would love it- but- I don't know- but Eduardo is-  _ special _ . He doesn't want to- to-  _ let go _ of me, and I don't know what to do, to be honest". It's only a whisper. He looks at his feets.

"You want to go back here?" Also murmurs Tom, putting a hand on the middle of his back. Hand that he almost removes when he feels Fabio becoming tense. "Hey, it's me, Tom. You're safe with me, always". 

"I don't want to get back there" he admits so softly that Tom barely heard him. 

Tom moves closer to him, and tries to hold him to soothe him.

"You want to talk about it?" He says as nicely as he can.

He feels him getting closer, he has the impression that he is looking for something to hold onto. Tom kindly wraps his arms around him. 

"He-  _ urgh _ , I don't know how to explain. Like- like he thinks that- that I'm his- It's difficult to explain- I- I tries to-" 

"Shhh" whispers Tom with a hand on his hair. "Everything is fine, I'm here with you" he adds while continuing to stroke his hair, and he feels him relaxing under his touch. 

"I- I really want to tell you, but I don't know how to say it" he stills whispering. 

"It's OK" he smiles, leaning to kiss his head. "We'll talk about it when you're ready or want to. OK?" he adds softly. 

"I feel like- No it doesn't matter". 

"Of course it matters. The way you feel matters. I don't know who makes you believe it doesn't, but it is. If someone, or me, or your friends, or anybody does something that makes you uncomfortable for example, you don't have to accept it. There is no reason to let these people hurt you, or make you feel something different than being happy and good. When you're with me, you could be who you truly are, same with Pierre. You may have learned to hide what you're feeling to be _more_ _efficient_ , but in your private life, you're free to be hurt, grumpy, happy, just good or whatever you feel. OK? You don't have to repress what you feel."

"But I just can't cry anywhere? What will people think about me?" he says incredulously while he gets up. 

"I was talking about your private life".

"Tom, I'm not a  _ simple _ person. I have responsibilities, and obligations, and I just  _ can't _ do  _ what _ I want  _ when _ I want" he responded almost aggressively. 

"I won't answer that, it would be useful. You still want to eat something?" 

Fabio's eyes widened. 

"But- I just- almost  _ yell _ at you, and  _ you _ still want to spend time with me?" he says surprised.

"Of course I still like you even if you almost yelled at me" he smiles. "We don't have plenty of time, but I think we could do what I have planned". 

"I'm sorry for yelling at you" says Fabio softly. 

"It's OK" insists Tom while turning on the engine. 

"Where are we going?" eventually asks the younger one after ten minutes. 

"You gonna see, we almost arrived" he grins. 

Five minutes later, Tom stops the car near as close as he could to the beach. There is the blue sea just in front of them, it seems to be almost primitive. It's a wasteland here, there isn't a soul. While he's admiring the sight, Tom takes from behind his seat a basket. When he reaches Fabio, he wraps his free arm around his shoulder to lead him to the beach. They made a few inches, and then stopped. They sit here, with the sea just in front of them, with the sound of happy birds and waves. 

"I love this place, it's so beautiful" says Fabio with a smile. 

"Totally agree with you" he smiles back. "I see that you seem to like fruits, so I made a few things with them. I also have chocolate cake and fruit juice, and water and tea. I wasn't really sure what you liked, so I took a little of everything" he explains while taking out the food from the basket. 

"Wow" Fabio's smile widens. "It's  _ so _ perfect. Thank you very  _ very _ much Tom" he adds. "The most perfect breakfast I had in life". 

"I'm more than happy then" he grins. 

They eat, and talk happily. Both are really happy to be there with each other, like they are alone in this world. Around quarter past nine, they go back to the car and drive to the airport. They're still talking about thousands of things. Everything is so easy with each other.

"It's not because you're going back to Spain that you have to forget me. You could still call me, text me" says Tom again. 

"Of course, and you could also call me" he smiles. 

They reach the airport so Tom parks the car. Fabio unties his belt, but stays still. Tom passes a hand on his back, trying to soothe him. 

"Hey, if you don't want to go there, try to speak with him. You're not in the  _ Spanish _ championship anymore, you're in the  _ world  _ championship. You don't need anymore to live with him. When you go somewhere in Europe or in the world it doesn't matter from where you're from. I ignore the relationship you have with him but, if you can, try to speak with him". 

Fabio lifts his head toward Tom. 

"I will try, I promise". 

After that, they leave the car, take Fabio's bags and reach the airport. They quickly find Fabio's parents. Tom is, well, he doesn't know how to feel meeting his parents. He knows he shouldn't, but he's a little stressed. Fabio leads him, and they stop in front of two persons, for sure Fabio’s parents.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Thomas Maubant, but everybody calls me Tom" he introduces himself. 

"Nice to meet you, my name is Martine, I am Fabio's mom, and he's my husband, Etienne" she says with a smile. 

"Pleased to meet you" Smiles Etienne. 

"Fabio has talked a lot about you an-" starts his mom. 

"I have to go, my flight will take off soon" he says quickly, and his cheeks seem to be redder than usual. 

"Oh, it's still early, but it's better to be earlier than late" says nicely Martine, maybe understanding why Fabio is suddenly in such a hurry. 

Fabio's parents hug him tightly and long. Tom watches them with a small smile, thinking about his own parents. Suddenly Fabio is looking at him, and there's something strange between them. It's almost the same as the time they have to say goodbye when they come to Fabio’s home after the trip in the mountains. There is this  _ strange  _ atmosphere, a sort of  _ attraction.  _ Tom comes closer to Fabio and pulls him into a hug. He holds him tightly, one hand behind his head, and the other is half wrapped around his waist, his arm on the middle of his back. Fabio has wrapped his arms around Tom's body, to the level of his waist. Their embrace may have lasted a little too long to be only friendly, especially since they have only recently known each other. But Fabio's parents seem moved, they let these two hearts be close one last time before moving away for an indefinite period.

Even if it seems to be cute from the outside, it wasn't entirely. Fabio was murmuring in Tom's ear. Things like ' _ I don't want to go back there, I want to stay here _ ', ' _ I don't know how I will put up with this, please come with me'  _ and it had broken Tom's heart. He tried, he really tried to soothe him, he whispered soft and sweet things, but he knew it was useless. He offers to call him every time he needs someone to listen to him, to laugh with, to cry with, or just spend time with. He made him promise to call him anytime, that he wouldn't bother him, and that if he wanted, he could also send him voice messages. And he promised. 

After they pull away, everything seems to be blurry. They do what they have to, but they weren't there. Tom sees him disappear, and stays frozen for some moment, before collecting himself and walking back to his car, not forgetting to say goodbye to Fabio's parents. He feels like he doesn't have any energy anymore. He opens the car door, slowly sits in the driver seat, he doesn't know why, but he turns his head and sees something on the passenger seat. He frowns. It’s a little black box, with a beautiful blue ribbon wrapped around it. His name is written on a small tag attached to the sequined satin bow. He can't help but smile, deeply touched. ' _ Tom _ '. He slowly unties the knot and opens the box. There is a letter with his name once again on it. He takes it and opens it. 

_ Thank you very much for everything. _

_ These last few days were incredible, thanks to you. You took care of me, you hugged me when I needed it, you gave me time when I needed it, you also made me laugh and made me happy. You were nice, funny, caring and thousands of other things. _

_ I really needed this, more than anything in my life, so thank you very much for making me happy and loved for some days.  _

_ I still hope that, maybe, this time was also nice for you.  _

_ I didn't know how to thank you, so I made you this, I hope you will like it.  _

_ Thank you again, take good care of yourself, stay safe and happy.  _

_ Fabio. _

Tom's heart softens, and he's almost crying, it's  _ so _ cute. He looks at the box and sees a braided leather bracelet with black beads and two letters, T and F.  _ T&F _ . This time, water runs his cheeks. Nobody ever did that for him. He's so, so touch and happy and, it's so kind and cute. He immediately wears it, and it's the perfect size. He's so happy. He takes a picture and quickly adds text to thank Fabio. 

_ Thank you one thousand times. This is so nice and cute. I'm so happy that these last days were great for you too, because they were for me. I hope everything's gonna be good for you. Call me every time you want it. Thank you for these last days, hope to see you again soon. Take care of yourself, and stay safe too and happy.  _

He almost adds ' _ love you _ ' at the end, but hopefully, he didn't. It would maybe have scared Fabio, and it's not what he needs now. He needs safety, what a close friendship could bring him. He has time to deal with it anyway. 


	11. Chapter 11

Fabio smiles when he sees Tom's text. He looks through the plane's window one last time to his city. He wonders when he will get back here. But, most importantly, how he will manage to live here again and won't have to leave the ones he loved. Spain is a beautiful country but he would maybe love it much if he lived somewhere else. 

Eduardo could be nice, he had been by the past, but, he could also be the worst being he had known. Especially after bad results. He precisely remembered what happened when he crashed during the French Grand Prix for example. He knows he could just go to the police station and explain what happened to him, he has evidence, but who will believe him? He's just a sixteen-year-old boy, and Eduardo is a rich businessman with power, so he knows it would be useful. Even if he's not a child anymore, he doesn't know how to get back  _ home _ , and definitely left him. 

He has known Eduardo for a long time, and he had believed in him when he was just a child and made a lot of promises to Fabio's parents to take him with him in Spain, where the championship level was higher. He really seems to be kind, but if he was when he wins, he was mean when he didn't get a podium, or lose an opportunity or worst, crash. Even when he had an engine or mechanic failure, Eduardo was mad at him, as it was  _ his _ fault. Fabio was just a child, so he may believe that it was  _ normal _ , but after speaking with other children, and looking how their parents or managers were with them made him realize: something was wrong. So he believed it was his fault. Maybe he was  _ difficult  _ and that was the reason for Eduardo's behaviour. But, the team director was always nice to him, even when he crashed the bike. The last thing that made Fabio realize something was wrong is the fact that Eduardo's behaviour wasn't the same when he was only with Fabio, and when other people were with them. This is why he always hated being alone with him. This is maybe the reason why nobody ever noticed, and why nobody will ever notice. 

The reason why he never talked to anybody is that he feels ashamed. Ashamed to never do anything in return, just let it happen. And the other reason, it's because he's a rider, so having bruises it's not unusual. Nobody was ever worried about seeing them on him. It has happened once that somebody asks a question. It was during a race during his last CEV year, so next year. He had fallen hard and had to get a check by the medics to be sure everything was fine. He had to take off his tracksuit, so he was only in underwear. Some bruises were visible, and the doctor frowned when he had seen them. He lightly touches them. 

" _ Are these bruises related to your crash?" He asked softly. _

_ He had felt his cheeks being red. He doesn't know what to do. _

_ "It's not related to any of your falls, isn't it?" Fabio was too shocked to say anything. "I can give you ointment, it will help them to disappear quickly. Also, I advise you to talk about it with someone that can help you. Most important, this is not your fault. You're not responsible for this, even if you did a bad race, even if you fell or made a mistake. You're  _ **_not_ ** _ responsible for it. Keep the evidence, because, if one day you want to make a complaint about it, you'll need proof. And the last thing, is there anything I can do for you, come to see me, my office will always be open to you. And the day you want to make a complaint about this, call me, I'll give you my name and my number, I'll give evidence at the trial, I promise you. Since you aren’t Spanish, talking to the Spanish authorities about it won’t help much. It’s up to the French police to intervene, so you have to tell your parents about it". He says firmly. _

Fabio was so shocked. He was the first and only to discover it. He gave him a shy smile and put his tracksuit on his body to cover it. He was so uncomfortable with those things on his body. He quickly thanked the doctor, and almost ran out of his office. He tried to remember what he said ' _ It's not your fault, it's not your fault, it's not your fault, it's not your fault, it's not your fault _ ' but it was so hard to believe.

He returns to the present when the captain announces the imminent landing in Spain. He sighs deeply, not really ready for what is waiting for him. Tom was maybe too soft and sweet with him, so Fabio softens, and now, it will be worse. He doesn't know yet how he will do. He still has to ask him to leave. And it won't be easy. Maybe if he asks after a good result, it will be easier. But for now, he has to find his way to Eduardo's house. He quickly takes his bags and while he's looking for the exit, his phone is ringing. A call from Eduardo. 

[ _ Where are you?  _

_ In the airport, near the exit, why? _

_ I'm in the car. I'm waiting in front of the main hall. Hurry. _ ]

Before he could say anything, he hung up the phone. Fabio sighs. He hurries and finds his red Ferrari near the main entrance. He puts the bags as he can, Eduardo doesn't help him or say anything. Just silence.

"I hope you spent good holidays, but no matter what you did, now, you have to focus on your championship. Besides, we have to talk about the end of the first part of your season. There's something wrong that you have to fix if you want the championship" says Eduardo looking right in front of him.

"As I said, I don't know what was wrong. The bike was too different from one day to another, so I try my best" softly answers Fabio avoiding Eduardo's eyes. 

"It's not enough. Try harder. End of the discussion." 

They don't talk, even after they reach the house. Fabio takes his bags in 'his' room and just waits here for orders. Less than ten minutes later, Eduardo is in his room. 

"So I reflected on remedies to fix your poor performances. You need to train more. This is the only way. You're gonna run mornings and afternoons, as usual, go cycling three times a week in the mountains. More your daily usual muscle-development exercises, of course" he says firmly. 

"But it’s maybe  _ too much,  _ no?" answers Fabio with a small voice, curling upon himself. 

"If you had had better results, maybe, but for now, this is your training program and it starts this afternoon in the weight room. For now, I'm leaving. I will be back this evening, and we're gonna talk about your diet". And with that, he left the room. 

Fabio lets out a breath when he hears the front door being closed. He lets himself fall on his back on top of the mattress. ' _ What a hell _ '. He goes to take a shower, and dresses in sports clothes. Before leaving for the weight room, he takes his phone to send a text.

_ I arrived well, I'm going to train. _

_ Did you come home safe? _

The weight room is in the house, this is why he often goes with Pierre to not be alone in, because it's quickly boring. 

_ Glad you're OK.  _

_ Have you eaten?  _

_ Because it's important before doing exercise.  _ \- Tom.

Fabio frowns. No, he doesn't eat. But Eduardo is out, and he doesn't know if he's allowed to eat something. 

_ Yes. _

He starts with a warm-up, mostly cardio, even if he also warms his muscles. And after that, he starts his exercises and after one hour and a half, he starts to feel dizzy, so he sits on the floor, but he's so hot, he needs some cool air, but he's too tired to move. He's now lying down on the floor. He really has no energy left. He stretches his arms to get his phone. 

_ Are you sure about it?  _

_ It's not that I don't believe you, but I'm worried. I'm scared something bad happened to you.  _

_ Fabio?  _

_ Fabio?  _

_ Are you OK?  _

_ I'm sorry.  _

_ I shouldn't have said that. You're old enough to take care of yourself.  _

_ You have nothing to be worried about.  _

_ To be honest, you were right.  _

_ I didn't eat.  _

_ Eduardo left and just said that I should train and that we’re gonna speak about diet tonight.  _

_ By the way, he wants me to train harder because he's not satisfied with what I have done at the end of the first part of the season.  _

_ He wants me to run twice a day, do my daily two hours of workouts and go cycling three times a week on mountain roads.  _

_ When I tried to say that it's maybe too much, he said that it's the consequences of my last poor races.  _

_ I was scared of saying no. _

After that, he locks his phone, and all goes black. 

First, he hears noises around him. He doesn't understand. Then, he feels hands on him. He closes his eyes as hard as he can. And just after that, he feels lights touch in his hair. 

"Mister?" 

Fabio tries as hard as he can to open his eyes, but it's so difficult. 

"Take your time. Everything is good and you're safe, don't worry".

This time, his eyes are open and he sees two unknown people wearing overalls, maybe some doctors. But he isn't hurt, is he? He tries to get up, but a hand on his chest keeps him lying down. 

"Easy," says the woman. "You faint. How are you feeling?" she asks. 

"Weak" he answers with a broken voice. 

"You are dehydrated. The fact that you did some weight training and with the heat you passed out, but everything is under control now. You will eat and drink, and rest for a few days, and everything will be better. Okay? You're lucky to have caring people who are looking after you" she says as softly as she can. 

"But  _ I can't _ " It's the only thing he manages to answer. 

"Everything is good" she says as softly as she can. "What can't you do?" 

"Resting for some days. I'm an athlete, and my championship starts again in a few days, I have to go to Indianapolis and- and- he wouldn't let me anyway" 

Without realizing it, he starts to breathe quickly, probably too much - enough to worry a doctor. 

"Hey, take deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Gently, there you go, like that. Slowly. Everything is fine. You are safe here with us. No one is going to hurt you, I promise" she says, and he finally calms down.

"Is someone hurting you?" The man asks with an expression of concern.

"No- He- It's complicated" he whispers. 

"You can tell us, you're safe here with us. If you are scared of him coming back here, we will protect you." 

"He hasn't hurt me yet but- but he has done it in the past" he's shaking, his voice too. "Most of the time, it was mentally, and sometimes physically, especially when I had bad results" he murmurs. 

Even if she shouldn't, she comes closer and hugs him, close, and Fabio lets everything go, crying on his shoulder. The man also comes closer, his hand on Fabio's back, as support. This is the sound of his phone that catches his attention. With shaking hands, he takes it, and he picks up after a look and a nod from each of the doctors.

[ _ Fabio? Is everything alright? I'm in Nice, at the airport, I will be here in less than two hours. I need your address. Can you give it to me? _

He remains silent for a while. 

_ Fabio? Is everything OK? Are you hurt in any way?  _

The worry in Tom's voice softens his heart as much as it breaks it. 

_ I don't want to lie to you, so, no, I'm not fine, but I'm not hurt. _

He hears Tom sighs, maybe in relief.

_ Thank God. Can you give me your address? I'll pick you up. It's OK for you?  _

_ It is. Thank you so much.  _

He starts crying a little while giving the address to Tom. 

_ I'll be there soon. I promise I will protect you. Stay strong, I'm coming. _

_ Thank you so much. I'm waiting for you. _ ]

He explains to the Spanish doctors what Tom said, and who he is. They nod and smile at him. 

"We will wait a little with you. You're maybe in danger. We will help you collect your things, but you have to eat and drink and most importantly, rest. OK?" 

Fabio just nods. Even if he knows he had to, he's not hungry. He has barely eaten an apple, but he has drunk many glasses full of water. The woman who introduced herself as Maria gave him a small part of an industrial brownie and he forced himself to eat it. After that, they go into Fabio's room and collect everything that has importance, and put it in Fabio's bags. After a moment, Fabio's phone rings. The doctors leave, worried visible on their face to let him alone, but he promises everything is gonna be alright for him.

_ I just landed in Spain. Hope everything is still good. Will be there in 30 minutes, more or less. How are you doing?  _ \- Tom.

_ I'm doing OK. The doctors have just left. They took good care of me.  _

_ Waiting for you. _

Tom has never sent as many texts as he did in this short time before, but wanted to talk with him to be sure he's OK. 

When Fabio hears knocking on the door, even if Tom says he's behind the door, it could be Eduardo, so Fabio's heart is beating so fast in his chest, almost coming out his ribs. It gets worse as he comes closer to the door. He opens it and almost immediately someone is hugging him strong and close. He relaxes when he smells Tom's soothing scent. 

"I'm here now, everything is OK. You're safe. You don't have to worry anymore. I'm here." He whispers softly in his ear, holding him close. 

They eventually let go, and Fabio explains quickly what happened to him. Tom tells Fabio that he’s the one who had called the emergency because he was really worried something might have happened to him because he wasn’t answering the phone after his last texts. Fabio has maybe thanked him one thousand times. Tom just said that it was normal. Fabio leads them to his room, and once they’re in, Tom holds him close. He’s sitting with his back against the headboard, and the younger one is pressed against him, surrounded by Tom’s arms. He’s cradling him tenderly, so he eventually falls asleep in the safety of Tom's arms. 

Tom doesn't really know what to do. He sees that everything is packed and ready to go, it’s a good point. He has taken a hotel room for this night, so they will be safe. Now, he has to wait for Eduardo to come home because he really wants to have a conversation with him. He also has to talk with Fabio, but not now. Hopefully, the younger one tells him what's going on, because otherwise, he doesn't know how Fabio would have been. Even with him fast asleep in his arms, he is still worried, because Eduardo he’s also involved.in his career, and he knows that’s the most important thing for Fabio. So he's just stroking gently his hair, waiting for Eduardo, imagining a better present and future for this sweet young guy that definitely deserves more than someone like Eduardo in his life - nobody deserves someone like Eduardo in his life anyways. 

After a moment that seems to be an eternity, he hears the door being open. There are no other sounds, so he's alone - things couldn't have been better for Tom. As gently as he can, he puts Fabio on the bed, and covers his body with a blanket to be sure he won't be cold. He presses a kiss on his temple, and quietly gets out of the bed, and reaches the door trying to not make any noises. At the moment he hears steps on the stairways, he starts to walk to join him mid-way. The man is completely shocked to see him - what is understandable, because they don’t know each other after all, at least for now.

"I'm Fabio's friend, and I want to talk with you, now." He says firmly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for keeping reading this story :)  
> I promise Fabio will feel better in the next chapter :)


	12. Chapter 12

Eduardo smiles. 

"Oh, nice, but why would I listen to you?" he answers sarcastically. 

"Because if you don't I will call Fabio's parents and explain to them how you treat their son". 

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm curious to discover it," he laughs, turning around. 

They go into a private living room. It's beautifully decorated, very modern and white. 

"So, go on," says Eduardo once he’s sitting in one of the armchairs.

"Fabio will come with me when I leave after our talk, and he will go back to living in Nice," he simply says. 

"But he's happy here, I don't think he will go," he says with a smile.

"So happy that he fainted this afternoon because he didn’t know if he was allowed to eat, and keeps telling me that he didn't want to come back here this morning". 

This time Eduardo's face shows something, but Tom doesn’t know precisely what it is.

"And you think you're helping him with this?" 

"With what? Taking him away from this toxic situation? Yes, definitely. It's not doubling his training that will help him to have better results. You understand that, don't you? He needs a quiet and supportive atmosphere to be happy, and then, having good results. It's not killing him with hours of training every day that will help him. Adding even more pressure inside his private life won't help, he already has to deal with the press, and it's more than enough for a sixteen-year-old boy".

"Doing this, breaking his training mid-season will destroy everything he has done" simply answers Eduardo.

"Better destroying his championship than himself". 

"You love him, don't you?" he says with a nasty smile. 

"None of your business. But I'm glad you're not trying to deny the bad treatment" says Tom without leaving Eduardo's eyes. 

"He needs rigour and discipline. This is how you came from a ' _ talented _ ' boy to a  _ champion.  _ He has things to learn, and I agree, it's not always nice things, but it's a part of the teaching. If I reward him every time he ends a race, he will think that it's good and acceptable. But it's not. He has to be first, and nowhere else. So, if he misses the win, it's because he doesn't train enough. As simple as that". 

Tom remains silent for some seconds. 

"You're completely insane! What is your goal? Breaking him? Killing him? He's a human being, so he deserves much more than that. It's not because you will be mean with him, or refusing any contact with him, or worst, beating him that he will do better. If it's the fear of being badly treated that makes him having good results and not the fact that he's enjoying what he does, there’s a fault in your method. He has to enjoy being a rider, not being scared of having bad results."

"You're what? Twenty years old, you think you'll explain to me how life works? Being too nice doesn't help, it makes weak people. And weak people don't win. And if you're not winning, you wouldn't be a champion. It's something you have to learn young, and now, thanks to this, he's aware of the fact that he must be on the top  _ every  _ race to win something. It works like this" explains Eduardo with a small smile. 

"So he has to thank you for your  _ amazing  _ method?" 

"Of course he has to. Without me, he would be nowhere. He owes me everything.  _ Everything. _ " he says firmly. 

"You helped him in his career, it's true. But the way you do it is problematic. It's not good for him, and you know it, don't you?" He says as peacefully as he can. 

"And what do you want to do then?" He answers with a pinched mouth. 

"For now, he will leave your house. It's non-negotiable. He doesn't need to be in Spain anymore, and his parents are missing their beloved son. You could maybe stay his manager, but you will have to give Fabio's parents an explanation for your behaviour in the last years, and they will decide what to do. And, if it's as horrible as I think it is, Fabio will choose if he wants or not initiate proceedings".

Eduardo sighs. 

"But it's not as simple as you think. I work with his team and we have a contract, so I will end the season, no matter what you think. And, moreover, you have no authority over him, so pay attention to your actions." He smiles in provocation.

"Is it a threat? Because you don't have authority over him either. If you want, I can call his parents right now and explain everything to them, what do you think about that?" he answers in the same tone as Eduardo. 

Eduardo remains silent. 

"I'm gonna see how Fabio is, and we will leave, is it OK?" Asks Tom looking him in the eyes. 

"It's OK. But only for tonight. He has to take the plane tomorrow afternoon, and you can't come with us." He says with a strange sparkle in his eyes. "I want him to be at the airport at 4 PM. I'll send you a list of everything he needs".

"Good."

He gives him his number and he climbs the stairs to join Fabio. He softly opens the door and sees the younger one huddle up in the blanket. Tom comes closer, and sits on the bed behind him, and starts running his hand behind his back, and goes up to the base of his neck. He gently strokes his hair to wake him up as gently as possible.

"Fabio? You have to wake up". 

He starts moving a little, coming closer to Tom. He now has his head on Tom's thighs. 

"You feel better?" asks Tom. 

"Yes, still tired, but definitely better," he says snuggling closer to Tom. "Is he- is he here?" He asks with some vulnerability. 

Tom keeps stroking his hair.

"Yes. I have talked with him. He stayed quiet and he seems to be OK with you going back to Nice with your parents. So, tonight we are going to my hotel room, spending the morning together, and then, you have to be at the airport at 4 PM to go to Indianapolis, for your race" he explains softly. 

"Will you come to the race?" asks Fabio with a barely audible voice. 

"Unfortunately, I couldn't. But I'll be watching you on the TV, and I will at the airport, OK?" 

Fabio nods. 

"You're awake enough to get out here?" 

Fabio nods again, and they get out of the bed and take Fabio's bags. When they reach the main room, Eduardo is seated on a chair, obviously waiting for them. 

"So you're leaving me alone after all the things I have done for you?" He says in a condescending voice. 

"I- I-" 

"I don't think the timing is right. He's tired and has fainted earlier" interrupted Tom firmly. "We can talk about it tomorrow or when he will come back after the race with his parents," he adds. 

Eduardo remains silent once again.

“Good night Sir. See you tomorrow at the airport” adds Tom before leading Fabio out of the house. 

Tom takes his phone from his pocket, and finds the way to the hotel, he hands it to Fabio with a soft smile. 

"Can you lead us to the hotel? 

"Sure" he smiles back. 

They walk for twenty minutes, sharing looks and smiles. When they reach the hotel, Fabio speaks to the receptionist and takes the key. They go to the lift and once again, there's this strange thing in the air. It's a sort of attraction that leads them to the other. Their eyes locked into each other. Unconsciously, they come closer. Tom puts Fabio's bags on the ground - he doesn't drop them, too scared that the noise will break what is around them. They're still looking at each other's eyes, and Tom puts his right hand on Fabio's cheek, his thumb stroking his cheekbone tenderly. His other hand is on his neck, and the contact between his warm hands and his colder skin makes Fabio shiver, but he doesn’t stand still. He timidly touches Tom's waist and slides his hand over it before placing his hand more firmly. Tom smiles at this contact. So it gives enough bravery to put the second one on the side of his neck. Because Tom is taller, Fabio has to be on his toes and it makes Tom smile when he notices it. They are so close that they can feel each other's warm breath on their own skin. It's so intimate, but it seems to be so right to be like this with the other. 

"What are you smiling at?" murmurs softly Fabio. 

He's about to answer ' _ you _ ' but the lift stops and the doors are now open. They're still looking at the other for some seconds before pulling out. Tom takes back the bags before Fabio could move and they leave the lift. They're looking for their room, and once they find it, they go inside. It's simple but nice. There's a big bed, maybe a king-sized one, with two bedside tables, there is also a sort of living room with two sofas and a furniture item with a TV on it. And of course, a door with a bathroom on the other side. 

Fabio sighs in relief and sits on the bed beside him. Tom takes off his shoes, and opens his backpack and takes out a large t-shirt and comfortable short. 

"I will take a shower" he simply says even if it was obvious. 

"Don't worry I won't flee" laughs Fabio. 

With a smile, he closes the door behind him. He quickly takes off his clothes and goes on the shower cubicle. The hot water relaxes his muscles. He was so worried and anxious about Fabio. He was so scared something bad had happened to him. He rubs his face under the water jet. He lets the water run over his body and takes a deep breath, letting the water falling on the top of his head. He knows Fabio is safe for now, but what about his next race? What if Eduardo is worse with him because Tom had stepped in? He would be less worried if a trusted person was also on the trip to Indianapolis. What if he asks Pierre? He has nothing to do before at least two weeks, so he may come with Fabio to look after him? He definitely should ask him, but before, of course, he has to ask Fabio.

On the other side, Fabio had rolled on his stomach. Even if it's hot outside, he decided to wear a hoodie, because it's not just any hoodie, it's Tom's. He also takes off his sport short for another. Even if he has tried hard to think about something else, he's imagining Tom now, under the shower. It's too hot in Fabio's opinion to think about something else. He doesn't really know why, but he really finds Tom attractive. He shakes his head and rubs his face, he has to think about something else now. His parents. He should call them to explain what happened, because Eduardo must have called them to give a wrong explanation, but he doesn’t have the courage now. 

Here, in Tom's hotel room (who's naked in the room next to Fabio's), in his hoodie that still has his scent, he feels good. He feels protected and safe. He's warm, he knows he's safe, and he's well installed, his head to the side above a pillow facing the window overlooking the city. He could just fall asleep again because he feels good, really good. He's relaxed, and just good. He's so far from reality, that he doesn't hear Tom going back in the room. He barely feels the mattress sag behind him. This is a kiss between his shoulders blades that brings him back into reality. Tom is lightly stroking his hair, also lying in bed. 

"Are you OK?" It's barely more than a whisper. 

He turns on his side, facing Tom, who is on his back. His brown eyes are already on his face. He doesn't see anything other than a deep tenderness, and it makes Fabio's heart soften. How is it possible for someone to be this kind and caring? Without thinking much, he comes closer to Tom's chest and rests his head in the crook of his neck. His right arm rests naturally above Tom's stomach so his hand rests around his waist. Tom wraps his arms around him. One hand in his lower back, the other in his hair at the base of his neck. And like this, he feels even better than ever. He feels full. 

"I am. Thank you so much" he eventually says. 

"You want to talk about it?" Tom asks carefully. 

"I don't know to be honest. He can be nice, really nice, but it had happened that he was awful. It was more mentally than physically - it had happened that he pushed me too hard against a wall and that I fell and hurt myself in the process, but hopefully, he never punched me. He always says that I didn't train enough, that I shouldn't eat this, or that or that I'm a duffer and that I will never win anything because I'm too weak or things like that. I think a lot of people knew about this, because after a bad result or a crash, they always tried to take me away from him. The worst maybe was that I thought it was normal" he whispers. 

Tom tightens his grip around Fabio. 

"It's over now. You're safe, he won't hurt you anymore" he whispers in his ear.

"But, when you won't be there, what will happen?" he asks with a broken voice. 

"You won't be alone with him. What about asking Pierre to come with you?" he offers, while retracing his spine.

"Would be nice" he whispers. 

"I will call him, OK?" 

Fabio nods. He dials Pierre's number, and after a few rings, he picks up

[ _ Tom? _

_ Can I ask you something? _

_ Sure, but is everything good?  _

_ I'm fine, don't worry, but are you free this week to come with Fabio to his race? _

_ Is there a connection with Eduardo? _

Tom looks at Fabio, and he nods. 

_ Yes, I'm worried about Fabio being alone with Eduardo. _

_ I understand. I'm also not at ease knowing that he's alone with him. So, sure, I will come. Should I join them in Spain or in Indianapolis?  _

_ I see you in Indianapolis?  _

_ Oh, hey. You're sure it will be OK to take the plane alone with him?  _

_ Yes because we won't be alone. Thank you very very much Pierre.  _

_ Anytime. Could you send me your arrival time in Indianapolis so I see which flight I take?  _

_ Sure, I'll send you in a minute. Thank you again.  _

_ You're welcome]  _

Knowing that he won't be alone today, tonight, tomorrow morning, and Tom will be there at the airport when he will see Eduardo and then Pierre will be there in Indianapolis, Fabio finally relaxes. He's not alone. He quickly sends Pierre what he asked, and comes back in Tom's arms. 

"It's still early, take a nap if you want. I'll wake you up when it'll be time to eat" whispers Tom. 

It takes Fabio only seconds to fall asleep. 


	13. Chapter 13

When Fabio wakes up, first, he feels cold. And when he opens his eyes, he understands why, he's alone in the bed. Was this a dream? He can almost hear Eduardo's voice, but when he looks around, he's not in the room he has there. It seems to be a hotel room. He quickly spots Tom's bag next to his. It wasn't a dream. 

"Tom?" he calls, but he hears nothing. 

He gets up from bed, opens the bathroom door, but there's nobody in. He walks back to the bed, and when he's about to grab his phone, he sees something on top of it. A note. 

_ If you wake up, don't worry, I just went to get some food. I'll be here soon - Tom.  _

Fabio takes his phone to check the time. It's already half past eight. He has slept many hours today, and he's still feeling tired. He doesn't know why. He gets up again and goes for a shower - he doesn't have time to take one after fainting this afternoon. He quickly undresses and goes under the warm water. He also washes his hair, using the hotel shampoo that smells really good. He wraps a towel around his waist and this is the moment he notices that he forgets taking a shirt - he really loves Tom's hoodie, but it's a little hot right now to wear it. So he just wears his shorts and comes back to the bedroom. This is also the moment Tom enters the room. Fabio is walking through the bedroom to find a short on his bags so he doesn't notice Tom, but Tom couldn't look anywhere else than Fabio's body. He had never been attracted by males bodies before, but right now, he could swear Fabio's body is the most perfect he has ever seen. But when he remembers that he's looking at Fabio, he turns away his eyes. Fabio jumps when he notices Tom. 

"You scare me!" He almost screams with hands at the level of his heart. 

Tom laughs and comes closer to Fabio. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose," he answers by rustling his hair that’s still a little wet. 

Fabio first pouts, but finally smiles and takes a large white shirt. 

"I bring us some McDonald's food - before you can argue, it's the best food you can eat when you need reassurance, and you need it, and believe me, it's not one cheat meal that will change something," says Tom with a grin. 

"It's true that it's been months that I haven’t eaten this kind of thing" answers Fabio with a smile. 

"Good" he smiles back. "You want to eat here or outside?" 

"There's a good place I know where we can go."

"Perfect then". He grins. 

And without adding anything, they take their phone, key room and get out of the hotel, Tom following Fabio through the streets. They end in a nice park enough far from the street so they don't hear the sound of the cars. It's quiet and there are only some groups of people who are far from each other. They sit on the grass, their back against a shared tree trunk. They are close enough for their shoulders to touch, and a nice warm spread in their body with this contact, but they don't talk about it. 

They eat while talking about the last football match they saw and the next one, and it's nice. The time flies quickly and Fabio's head falls on Tom's shoulder. The sun starts to set, but they are too good here to move. It's when he doesn't hear an answer from Fabio that he understands he's sleeping. He laughs lightly when he notices it. He moves a little to take his phone from his pocket, but it also makes Fabio move, and he ends with his hand on Tom's thigh, and that makes him shiver. He opens Instagram to think about something else than his hand on his thigh. 

After a moment, less than an hour, he feels Fabio moving again. He seems to be comfortable, but it's now almost 10, and they have to go back to their hotel to sleep. 

"Fabio? You have to wake up, it's almost 10" he says nicely. 

He just snuggles closer. Tom puts an arm behind his back to rub a little his shoulder to wake him up. Fabio just makes muffled noises. 

"Fabio, it's time to leave," he says nicely but a little more firmly. 

He moves his hand to his hair to stroke them, but Fabio doesn't move. So he has no choices left. At the beginning, he nicely puts his fingers over his ribs. Fabio may think it nice, so he doesn't move. Big mistake. Suddenly, he tickles him, and this time it makes Fabio move - rather jumping. But Tom finds it too funny so he follows him and keeps tickling him making him laugh.

"Tom! Tom!! Stop it! I'm awake" he manages to say between two giggles. 

He finally stops, and the two lay down onto the grass on their backs, still laughing. It's now almost black outside, but they can see each other. They are looking at each other's eyes. Their laughs stop, and this tension between them is back. And without any warning, Fabio is touching his pinkie. Tom moves his hand a little to have more of this delicious heat. He must be doing the same because now, three of their fingers are touching. Tom is smiling, and also made a move. Now, four of his fingers are under Fabio's. He feels him coming closer to his shoulder, and he adds his last finger over Tom's. Tom does the last move and interlaces their fingers. Now his left hand is laced with Fabio’s and it seems so right. He’s not uncomfortable, and Fabio doesn’t seem to be either. There are just two young fools holding hands in the grass under the stars, and both of them found this beautiful. There is no need to talk, or do anything, they are just good, and it warms both of their bruised hearts. They will heal together, maybe find some happiness in the process. But for now, they are just looking at each other and smiling. 

When it starts to be cold outside, they slowly get up without separating their hands, and it’s quite the reverse actually - they tighten the grip to be sure to not break away. They made their way back to the hotel, and it’s so nice to have closeness between them. It warms their hearts and makes them feel  _ loved _ . Once they reach their room, they share a look, and then open the door to the balcony, without forgetting to grab a blanket. Tom sits, his back against the wall of the building, wrapped in the blanket, and he lets his arms open for Fabio to fill this space. He smiles and happily sits there, as close to Tom as he physically can. Quickly, Tom wraps his arms around him with the blanket, and Fabio lets his head fall in the crook between his neck and shoulder and grabs his hand to interlace their fingers. He lets their laced hands rest on his thigh and let out a breath. 

“Thank you for coming today. It means a lot to me, like, nobody ever does that for me, and I don’t think someone else will ever do this” he laughs softly. “I’m so happy to have met you this summer, I never dare to dream about having someone like you in my life. I’m so lucky. You’re so perfect and kind and caring and nice and funny and thousands of other things - I may accomplish incredible things in my previous life to deserve someone like you in this one”. His voice is barely more than a whisper.

Tom tightens his grip around Fabio and kisses the top of his head, letting his head just above Fabio’s.

“I think I’m the luckiest here” he whispers. “You’re too mean with yourself. You’re more than perfect. I’m not saying that you’re a child, but you will enter a chapter of your life where you will ask you thousands of questions, and you will find yourself - who you are, who you want to be, and stuff like that - I really hope you will discover how perfect you are. It’s not a lie or nice talk, this is true. You are incredible, and I am sure you will be an incredible champion in the future, it’s just a matter of time. You will accomplish great things, that’s for sure”.

Fabio remains silent some seconds.

“I really,  _ really _ like you, like so much - I never like someone as I like you,” he murmurs while moving to have his left side against Tom’s chest, without letting go of his hand.

Tom just smiles for a moment. He’s not sure what to answer.

“I really really  _ like _ you too, so much”.

Fabio moves again, looks at him for some seconds - Tom can’t look somewhere else, too fascinated by his beauty. Fabio shyly touches his face, letting his hand run on his jaw, retracing it. Tom is only attracted by Fabio’s face and the concentration painted on it. Fabio leans and kisses his cheeks with all of his tenderness. His lips stay longer on Tom’s skin, just under his cheekbone. He gently pulls away but stays close and simply looks at Tom. He wonders how a being can be that handsome. Tom gently strokes Fabio’s cheek with his free hand before doing the same as Fabio did, and kissed his jaw. Fabio closes his eyes at the contact, he even shudders but Tom doesn’t notice. When he opens his eyes after what can be ten seconds or the eternity, he sees Tom’s smile and smiles back. Tom moves his hand behind his head to make him come closer, until his forehead rests against Tom’s shoulder. He gently kisses his temple. Fabio feels incredibly good here, stuck between Tom’s safety and the warmth of the blanket around them - he feels like he’s in a bubble, far from everything, as anybody couldn’t hurt him anymore, and more importantly, happy and full.

“What about going to sleep little one?” he murmurs in his ear, and Fabio shivers again.

The younger one nods, and they slowly get up, still holding hands. Once they’re back in the room, Tom makes him come closer for a hug, wrapping his arms around him and Fabio does instinctively the same. He enjoys this contact, and just before they pull away, Tom kisses his head again, and this makes Fabio smile. Their hands finally let go. Tom closes the window and the awning. When he looks behind him, Fabio is in the middle of the living room part, doing nothing. Tom carefully puts his hand on the small of his back, leading him to the bathroom. He lets himself be led, trusting Tom enough to let him do it. They wash their teeth the one next to the other. The tension seems to be gone, it's once again only soft between them. Once they are done, they leave the bathroom, and Tom leads them to the bed, turning off the lights. He lays down on his back and waits for Fabio to come closer - what he does. Here, once again glued together, they feel good and in peace. 

"Good night" whispers Fabio while taking his hand to interlace their fingers together. 

It makes Tom smile. He moves a little to kiss Fabio's head.

"Good night, hope you have sweet dreams" answers softly Tom against Fabio's hair.

"Also wish you sweet dreams" whispers again Fabio, falling asleep at the end of his sentence. 

Tom smiles when he notices him sleeping and also falls asleep in less than a minute. 


	14. Chapter 14

This is the sun which passes lightly around the curtains that gently wakes Fabio up. He feels a hot mass over him, he barely opens an eye and sees Tom's dark hair. Did they roll during the night? Fabio puts his hands more firmly on Tom's back, first the left one, in the middle of his back, and then the right one on the small of his back - he almost jumped at the contact. Tom's shirt may have gotten up during the night, because it's a hot skin under his fingers. Fabio lets his hand there, he loves the feeling of his skin under his. It's warm and soft. Unconsciously, he starts running his hand on Tom's back lightly, retracing his spine. And it slowly wakes up Tom who enjoyed these little touches. It's so sweet. After a moment, he slowly opens his eyes, and the only thing he sees is Fabio's shoulder. He lifts his head and now it's his neck on his field of vision, and would love  _ love _ to kiss this smooth skin. He comes closer, and it's when his lips are touching his skin that he remembers where he is, with who. He doesn't want to take advantage of him, or makes him feel uncomfortable. But before he has time to pull away, a hand is on the back of his head. He smiles against his skin, and finally leaves a kiss there. He feels Fabio shivering under his touch, and his hand grabs his hair lightly. 

"Morning" he murmurs against his neck. 

Fabio moves his hand under Tom's shirt to touch more of his skin, and it makes Tom shivering. 

"Morning" he answers.

They stay like this for a moment. Fabio's hand on his back and in his hair, Tom lets his head against his neck. It's intimate, but they are comfortable with each other. They pull away when both of their stomachs growl because it's around 9 and they are awake for a moment now. Tom is the first to move, he rolls on his side, so Fabio gets up and goes into the bathroom. He quickly undresses and goes under the warm water. Meanwhile Tom is now on his back, rubbing his face. ' _ What did I do? _ ' He knows this moment wasn't innocent as it was the last time they slept together - or when they take a nap. Something has changed. He hopes Fabio feels it too, it's not the moment to talk about it, but they will have to. 

He gets up and takes his phone. He sees a text from an unknown number. It has to be Eduardo because this is a list with a lot of things - he doesn't think they have everything, some of them might be at Eduardo's house. They have to talk, maybe they will have to go to his house before reaching the airport? He has to ask Fabio for it. He doesn't hear the sound of water, so he's maybe dressing. His phone rings once more, and this time it's a text from Pierre. 

_ I'm at the airport, my flight is gonna take off in ten minutes. I will be there before Fabio, so don't worry, everything will be under my control once he's in Indianapolis.  _ \- Pierre. 

_ I'm happy to know that :) _

_ Keep me informed, please. _

_ I know you'll take good care of him. _

_ Sure.  _

_ I hope you take good care of him too.  _

_ By the way, why are you in Spain with him?  _

Even if he knows that Fabio really likes him, he doesn't know if he can answer this. Maybe he wants to explain by himself? He also has to wait for Fabio to answer. This is the moment Fabio chooses to come back into the bedroom. He looks good - as always in Tom's opinion. He waits for him to sit on the bed. 

"Pierre's asking why I'm here, you want me to explain to him, or you want to do it by yourself?" he asks while resting his chin on his shoulder and wrapping his arms around his body from behind him. 

"I'll explain to him in detail, don't worry. Just say you wanted to see me" he smiles while taking Tom's hand in his. 

"Okay, " he smiles. "But I have another question for you". 

"Go on" he answers, lightly stroking Tom's hand with his thumb. 

"Would you like to talk with Eduardo today before your flight, or when you're back?" He asks carefully. 

Fabio remains silent for a moment, and Tom gives him time to think. 

"I have to talk with my parents, but it's not the kind of thing you say on the phone. And it's a back-to-back, I have a race in Indianapolis this weekend, and it's in the Czech Republic next week, and I won't come home in between. So, I don't know what to do. There's nothing I want to talk about with him now. It's with my parents that I have to talk" he quietly says. 

"It makes sense. If there's anything I can do, call me, OK?" He whispers. 

"I- I would like you to be there when I will talk with my parents. I'm scared to do it alone. I know I didn't explain everything to you either, but I will do it. I just need some time to clear my mind". 

"You have all the time you need" answers Tom.

"Thank you" whispers sincerely Fabio. "But what about going for breakfast for now?" 

"Sounds good" he laughs. 

Tom takes new clothes from his bag - Fabio's asking himself how it's possible because his bag is really small. He quickly goes for a shower and goes out of the bathroom. They smile at each other and leave the bedroom. The breakfast is quiet, but nice. 

"I forget, Eduardo sent me a list of everything you need, I don't know if you have everything. Can you check?" he asks when they're about to open the door of their room. 

Fabio nods and puts in one of his luggage all the things he needs. Hopefully, he has everything. It's a relief, they won’t have to go into Eduardo's house. 

"If you want, I can take back your things in Nice?" offers Tom. 

"But my parents will ask questions - why are my things back in Nice if I have to be in Spain?" 

"Your parents asked you to come back to Nice, no? So they won't be surprised. But if you want, I can keep them until you're back after your second race?" 

"You can do that?" asks with widened eyes. 

"Yes, it's not a bother, it's only bags," he laughs. "And two weeks". 

Fabio smiles and gives Tom a quick hug. 

"Thank you very much". 

"You're welcome". 

"Will it be OK at the airport?" 

"Yes, don't worry. I travelled with huge things in the past" he smiles. 

He sees something in Fabio's eyes, but the latter says silent. This is true, they never really spoke from the heart to each other. They still have so many secrets. When Fabio says that he will explain everything of Eduardo's story, he knows that he also has things to explain - he has to find the right moment to do it. They don't know a lot about each other - especially Fabio. This time off without seeing the other may help them to clear their mind. 

"What about going for a walk outside? It stills early" offers Fabio. 

"I follow you" he smiles. 

They leave once again the room, they walk to the lift - which is open - and Fabio walks to get inside.

"I'm sure I will be the first down" Tom winks while laughing. 

Fabio grins and pushes the button many times to close the doors as quickly as possible, and Tom is taking the stairs, running carefully because he doesn't want to go to the hospital. Their room is on the third floor, so it won't be easy for Tom - unless someone calls the lift before Fabio gets to the hall.

When the door opens, Fabio is worried to see Tom - he doesn't like losing. He barely has time to step outside the lift that he sees Tom breathless. 

“I thought I could win,” says Tom with a pout. 

Both of them laugh. They quickly reach the noisy street. They are walking close to each other for a moment, and then, Fabio grabs Tom's arm. In the beginning, the latter doesn't move, letting the younger one wrap his hand just above his wrist. But after a moment, he lightly frees his arm. He sees the confusion on Fabio's face, but quickly he wraps it around his shoulders. It makes the younger coming closer to him, and shyly he wraps his arm around Tom's waist. They walk for another ten minutes like this, before reaching a little park.

"It's quieter here," says Fabio. "I often came here, mostly for running, but I always like this place. It's quiet, and there's a lot of different plants. It's beautiful" he adds softly. 

"It's beautiful, " smiles Tom. "You want to walk, or to sit somewhere?" 

"I have my favourite bench, but we have to walk a little". 

"It's OK, I follow you" he answers with a smile, while looking around him to see all the plants around them. There are many flowers, and Tom finds them beautiful. 

After walking a little through trees and flowers, they stop in front of a fountain. It's really beautiful, and hopefully, Fabio's favourite bench is free. They sit and stay still for a moment. 

“I’m scared” eventually says Fabio. Tom just waits for him to add something. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do. Like, all my life - my professional life - I was with him. He somehow took care of me, and even if he was sometimes mean with me, I would be nowhere without him. He brought me here, in Spain, in his house, because it’s better for a hypothetical career. He somehow raised me. It’s so strange to imagine that he would maybe be gone at the end of the season, even knowing what he had done is wrong. I mean, it’s not like he punched me, or really beat me. As I said, it has happened that he pushed me, but it’s not like a punch or a slap, isn’t it?”

“The problem is not what type of violence he used, but that he used it. Pushing someone against a wall, or just  _ pushing _ someone is wrong. It’s aggressive, and it’s not normal. even more when you’re a child. I can imagine how important he was for you, but his behaviour is wrong. Moreover, it wasn’t only physical violence, it was also mentally, no? I talked with him yesterday, and he doesn’t seem to be lovely and caring. He genuinely thinks that what he did is right and is good for you, but objectively, some things are missing. You know it, right?” answers softly Tom.

“But most of the time he was nice, he made me gifts and cared for me” responds Fabio.

“If you need to look for positive things instead of the bad’s ones, it means that there’s a problem somewhere. Fabio, it’s not an isolated case, isn’t it? It’s not like he lost his temper once and pushed you, right? And even if it was that, having a bad result or crashing the bike is  _ never _ an excuse for being violent. I understand that you like him, and that you don’t want to lose him because he has done less bad things than good things, but you have to distance yourself from him. He could stay your manager if you want, but you should come back to Nice” says Tom fondly.

“I feel horrible for excluding him like that. I just faint, it’s not a big deal after all, thousands of people faint every day and they don't need someone to come from another country to save them. I’m thinking about Paul who was really  _ beaten  _ by his dad and doesn’t do all of that. I feel like a drama queen, and I feel bad for this. Eduardo is not that bad, he’s just humain, and they sometimes do mistakes. I feel like spit in his face” he says only looking at the fountain in front of them.

Tom turns a little to face Fabio.

“Thank you for explaining how you feel, it helps me a lot. As I said before, he can stay your manager if you want, but only if  _ you want _ . You don’t have to feel guilty. You do nothing wrong, and saying ‘ _ Thank you for helping me through my career, but now I need some fresh air _ ’ doesn’t made you someone bad. It’s self-preservation. It’s not because there is worse that you have to settle for a situation that doesn’t make you happy. Maybe talking with him will help you?”

Fabio looks confused. 

“Talking with him? About what?”

“This situation. You have many solutions: stopping seeing him; seeing him less; talking with him about how you feel and to try to fix the situation. I don’t know what you want to do because I don’t know what happened between you” he says softly.

“You would be mad if I choose, for example, to come back to Nice, but with another trainer but keeping him as my manager?” he says with a small voice.

“Of course not. Fabio, you’re not five years old. At the moment you’re happy and healthy, everything is good for me” he answers softly.

“Thank you,” he says with a smile. “I know I’m younger than you and your friends, and there are things I don’t know or won’t understand, but we can also talk about your things, like your life or anything you want to share with me. I say it because we always talk about  _ my  _ life, but yours is also important and I wanted you to know it” he says shyly, and maybe also to change the subject, but it really touches Tom’s heart, it softens it. 

“You’re so kind and pure,” he says with a small smile. “We never really talk about our life, to be honest, so I think we have many things to tell each other. So, you’re far away for two weeks, but after, if you want, we could spend time together?” he offers, still smiling, looking at Fabio’s eyes.

“I think I will need it, especially after the talk with my parents”.

“If you still want me, I will be by your side”.

“Of course I still want you, always,” he says with something strange in his voice - something that Tom doesn’t really understand. Are they only talking about this conversation?

“Perfect then, because I also want you”. 

And he means it. He would do anything for the younger one. He naturally swipes his arm around Fabio’s shoulder and rubs his nose in his hair. And that makes Fabio smile. They stay like that, Tom's arm around his shoulder, his head against his, for a moment. This is the hunger that makes them move to find something nice to eat. They end up in a little restaurant where they eat healthy food, and laugh a lot. They come back to the hotel after this to take a nap. Tom closes the door behind them, and Fabio is already on the bed, on his stomach. Tom smiles, takes off his shoes, and jumps on the bed, next to the younger one, and moves closer to put his chin on top of Fabio's shoulder blade as well as his arm on the small of his back. 

"You're heavy," says Fabio with a smile. 

"Even for an athlete like you?" he whispers in his ear and Fabio just laughs. The most beautiful sound in Tom's mind. 

"No, but I prefer to be on top," he whispers back. 

Tom rolls on his back and lets his arms open. 

"Come then," he says lightly and in a second, Fabio is lying on top of him, Tom's arms around him. 

"Much better" he yawns. 

"Sleep little one," he says softly while stroking soothingly his hair. "I will wake you up". 

Fabio moves a little and lets escape a sigh of comfort. 

"I don't want to see him," he whispers. 

"You will just take the plane with him, and then Pierre will take care of you. Also, you won't be alone on the team. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your teammate, but you could maybe spend some time with them, maybe talking with your team manager will help, and there are many other people there to not be alone with him. You’re not alone Fabio" he answers, still stroking his hair. 

He smiles. 

"Will you be there at the airport?" he says half-asleep.

"Of course I will".

When he doesn't hear anything from the younger one, he looks at him, and his eyes are closed. He smiles, because he's too cute. He sets an alarm to be sure, but takes his phone and starts reading a book, one hand still wrapped around Fabio's body. He won’t let anybody hurt him. 


	15. Chapter 15

Tom is thinking. Maybe over-thinking. He knows that friends don't act like him and Fabio. Friends don't hold hands, sleep as close as they do, don't kiss the other on the neck or act as they do. He doesn't know how Fabio sees him, but it's not a brotherly or friendly behaviour for sure. He will have to talk about it with him, but he doesn't know how. He couldn't stop thinking that he may have written this wrong, and that all of this is only friendly - even if objectively it's not - from Fabio. He couldn't stop imagining how awkward the situation will be if it's the case. If he's talking about  _ relationships _ , but not in a friendly way when Fabio is believing it is, he will be embarrassed for the rest of his life. Even more. He sighs deeply. He's maybe as insecure as him after all. 

When he sees that it's almost time, he gently rubs his back. 

"Fabio, you have to wake up," he says softly. 

He keeps running his hands on Fabio's back and hair, and after a minute, the younger one eventually opens his eyes. But he only comes closer to Tom, sighing deeply and closing his eyes. It makes Tom laugh. 

"You still have ten minutes before leaving the bed, but don't fall asleep again". 

"I'm awake" answers Fabio, but he's voice betrays his half-asleep state. 

"Sure" Tom laughs. 

"You don't believe me" whispers Fabio. 

"So prove me wrong". 

And without any warning, he kisses Tom's neck - exactly as Tom does early that day. It makes him shiver. Fabio lets his head in his neck, so Tom's feeling his warm breath against his skin. 

"Umh.. I don't think I believe you. You could fall asleep again, so" says teasingly Tom. 

"Oh I see" laughs softly Fabio. 

He kisses his neck again, but this time a little closer to his jaw. And another time, but closer to the side of his neck, near his ear. Tom lost his mind, because it's too soft to stop it, even if he maybe should say 'stop'. And another time on his jaw. Tom's lips are now open and let out a shaky breath. Fabio lets another kiss on his jaw, and another one, closer to his mouth. Tom's breathing is now fast - too fast for someone who's only laying in a bed. Fabio is now kissing his chin, just underneath his lower lips, and it feels  _ right _ . Tom looks at Fabio's eyes, and he's freezing by what he sees. He thinks that he never looks this good, this beautiful, this handsome before. He sees him coming closer and closer to his face, and when he can barely feel his lips on his, Tom's phone rings and both of them jump - literally. Tom catches Fabio as he can, but he was already falling on the floor, so both of them hit the floor and it makes a big noise. But a second after, both of them are laughing like two fools. 

"What is this sound?" asks Fabio between two giggles. 

"I set an alarm to be sure you will be awake" he explains trying to catch his breath, still laughing.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” says Fabio, and this atmosphere is suddenly really serious. 

“Always” he only answers. 

Tom is lying on his back and Fabio is on his side, so they can look at each other's eyes.

“I have never been good with relationships, I mean, I always struggle understanding other people, and it always creates fights. I’m scared that one day it will happen between us. Pierre is at the moment the only person I know for a long time with whom I never have a fight with. You know how he is, always caring, kind.. And most importantly, he’s always reflecting before speaking, he always tries to understand the other in their own point of view and not in his. These are qualities you also have - like, you always listen to me, never judge me or anything, even when I cried for nothing, or.. Yes, this is a really important thing that makes me think that- maybe we could get along- for a long time. I know I’m much younger than you, but, as I say before, I want you to be comfortable with me- comfortable  _ enough  _ to speak about serious things, or your hobbies, or I don’t know. I’m a little scared that- that you don’t think I can understand or I don’t know” he says while looking at the ceiling, and maybe, his cheeks are redder than usual.

Tom puts his tongue between his lips and rolls on his side to face Fabio.

“I- It’s nothing to do with your age. It doesn’t define you, and as I said earlier, you’re more, more mature than I was when I was sixteen. It’s just that- there’s things that I- don’t talk about. I don’t think it’s the  _ right moment _ to have this- talk? I can understand that you feel ‘left behind’ because, it’s true, you don’t know a lot about me, or what I like or why and it’s not fair. I totally agree on this, but I promise, I will fix this. You’re busy with your own things for now, and it’s not really important” he says softly.

“You have said that what I feel or think  _ always _ matters. The same goes for you. You may like this ‘role’ of being  _ there for me _ but, sometimes, you should let me - or someone else- take care of you. You’re a really good listener, that’s for sure, but I’m sure that you have thousands of things to tell - apart from the ones you don’t want to talk about, of course. I can understand that you’re not a ‘speaker’, but- yeah, it helps sometimes. Having another point of view, or just talking about the ones we lost to make them ‘living’, even if it’s just five minutes. I have no idea what you go through, but, don’t forget that, if you want to -  _ if you want to _ \- you can talk to me. Like, if Pierre or someone else is not there, I am, and will be”.

“You’re important to me Fabio - a lot. You’re your own person, like, if I talk to you, it’s because  _ I want to _ , not because someone else is not here. But, thank you for this. I promise I will remember your words and explain to you some things. You’re right, speaking can help. Thank you again”.

“It’s just normal. I learn a lot from being around Pierre. He unconsciously teaches me how relationships work. He always says that communication is really important. That you have to explain how you feel, what you want or don’t want because the others aren’t in your head. He always takes time to ask me how I feel or what I want him to do, and things like that. Even if sometimes he loses his temper, it’s never for a long time, and he always reflects on his own behaviour and isn’t scared of saying ‘ _ yes, it’s true, I’m wrong and I’m sorry _ ’ and it’s priceless. I really want to be like him” confesses Fabio.

“No doubt you will. You’re really caring. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say it, but anyways. When we were in the mountains, Pierre defends you against Paul - someone we know for many, many years - but after everybody was gone, we talked to him. He said that you were very important to him, and that it hurts him to see how Paul’s behaved towards you. He said a lot of sweet things about you, even before I got to know you. You’re really, really important to him. Like really, really. He likes you a lot too. I don’t know if I’m really allowed to say it, but just before we go to the mountains, we have a fight. Like, you remember, you cried in the car, and we got some food and ate on the beach. He saw your red and swollen eyes and somehow accused me of it. So I explained what happened, but he was really upset, but the day after, he texted me, and apologised. It’s maybe what you were talking about. He’s sometimes hot-tempered, but he calms down quickly and reflects on his own actions. You’re once again right, it’s a really important quality” he says with a small smile.

“Oh God, I’m sorry for your fight,” he says sincerely. “He has sent me hundreds of texts asking me if you were responsible, I kept saying you weren’t, and that you even comforted me, but he wanted to be sure. I’m sorry” he laughs. “He’s sometimes overprotective, and I know how he is” he giggles. “I’m glad Paul understood and came to talk to me. He’s nice”.

“Oh yeah, overprotective is the word, another one of his qualities, because I think it’s one. It means he cares. He’s too perfect, isn’t he?” he laughs. “Unless when he’s mad at you” he laughs.

“I don’t know, he never gets mad at me” he giggles. “Yeah, he has too many, he must have some secret fault”.

“He’s terrible at football” bursts Tom into laughter.

“No way” he giggles. “However he’s so good at FIFA”

“Only at FIFA” he still laughed.

“We’re so bad, I will tell him this afternoon- shit, we have to go, no?” Fabio says while he quickly gets up.

Tom takes his phone, and hopefully, he has set the clock earlier because he wasn’t thinking that they will be talking. He also gets up, and they make sure they don’t forget anything. Once it’s done, they put the cover correctly over the bed and with a last look on this room, the 321, they leave. A cab is waiting for them in front of the hotel.

Quickly, maybe too much, they reach the airport. Tom sees that Fabio is now tense. He’s not smiling, not even talking. He’s only looking at the streets through the window. He knows that he can’t do anything, so he just puts a hand on his knee, as silent support. Without looking, Fabio puts his hand on top of Tom’s. Maybe a silent ‘ _ thank you _ ’? They don’t say anything until the cab stops in front of the entrance of the airport. They pay and thank the driver, take their bags in the boot, and enter the main hall, looking for Eduardo.

Tom is a little dizzy because there are hundreds of people everywhere, speaking foreign languages, and it’s so hot here. Although he lives in Nice, he finds it suffocating. He’s just following Fabio, he seems to know where he goes. After some minutes, he stops. 

“You’re early” only says Eduardo in a neutral way.

Fabio and Tom nod. What can they say? ‘ _ Yes, we are early _ ’? Is that useful? No. So they just wait for him to add something more.

“So, have you thought about it?” he asks while sighing.

Tom looks at Fabio, because even if Eduardo is looking at him, Fabio is the one that must answer.

“Yes” he only says, and Tom couldn't hold a little smirk.

“And so?” he asks in a tone that betrays his annoyance.

“Pierre will be here, he might be already in Indianapolis, and I’m gonna talk with my parents after the second race,” he says in a neutral way.

“Right. I see, no gratitude” his mouth is now a line and he looks disappointed.

“I don’t think it’s the right moment to speak about it. We will, I promise, but not now. I have to focus on my race, and not on personal stuff. I hope you understand” says Fabio as peacefully as it’s possible.

“Of course, I would love to speak with your parents, we have many, many things to share”.

“Sure”.

After the last answer from Fabio, they all remain silent. Everybody’s moving and talking about them, but they seem frozen.

“It’s almost time for you to go,” says nicely Tom to Fabio. “Call me when you land in Indianapolis, right? And most important, have fun” he smiles.

“Won’t forget, see you soon” he smiles back.

“Sir” just says Tom before leaving.

He has his own flight to come back to Nice. Hopefully, his boss is really nice, because he has to be on the beach this morning, but when he explained what was maybe happening with Fabio, he said that he had all the time he needed. He texted him this morning, saying that he will be there at the end of the afternoon, and he texted back that he’s happy that everything seems to be better for his friend.  _ Friend _ . Are they really friends? They almost kissed, friends don’t kiss on the mouth. He’s sure about it. He has had enough friends in his life to know it. Moreover, he doesn’t want to kiss Pierre or Paul or anyone of his friends on the mouth, and it’s different when it’s Fabio. It's been different since the beginning with him.

He sighs and goes to security. Fourteen minutes later, he's on the plane, ready to go back to Nice. It had been really stressful when he read Fabio’s texts, he was so worried - enough to take the first available flight to the nearest airport from where Fabio was. He relaxes knowing that Pierre will be there for him at the moment Fabio lands. Tom closes his eyes and quickly falls asleep, dreaming about a young man with beautiful brown eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy you keep reading this story, and I hope everything goes well for you and your family :)

Tom sighs in front of the sea. He really loves coming here, it’s his favourite place. He used to come often here, but with someone else. Someone really special to him. Someone who’s gone and won’t come back. He’s sure she would give him the greatest advice, but he’s alone, terribly alone. He could ask Paul or someone else, but he doesn’t want to see anybody. There are some days like that, when he doesn't want to talk to anybody, just staying alone and doing nothing, only thinking. He rubs his face, he doesn’t know what to do, he may need to talk with someone, even if he wants to stay alone, but it won’t help. So, he takes his phone, and without reflecting on it, he calls David. He knows he will understand.

[ _ Hey, how are you? _

_ Hey. Are you free? _

_ Yeah, I have the whole night if you want, Clara goes out with some friends. You want to talk about something, no? _

_ Yeah. We meet where? _

_ I know a really good restaurant, I’m sure you’ll love it, I’m sending you the address. _

_ Sounds good. _

_ Perfect, I’ll be there in thirteen minutes. _

_ See you there then. _ ]

He has known David for many years now, they went to school together and stayed close. One of his closest friends with Pierre and Paul. He gets up and runs to his house. He quickly takes a shower and wears new clothes, and leaves his house. He’s just in time, but he knows David will already be there - he’s always early. And he sees him, waiting with his phone near a window. They smile at each other, but it’s not as warm as it is when it’s Fabio. He sighs, why is he thinking about Fabio now? There’s no reason.

“Hey” Paul greets him with a smile.

“Hey, thank you for being here” he answers with a small smile.

“Always,” He says, still grinning. “So what happened?”.

Tom shrugs because it’s nothing and everything at the same time.

“Is it related to Fabio?” he asks nicely.

“Yes and no- it’s complicated” he manages to answer.

“He seemed to be really nice when I met him during the trip in the mountains”.

“He is,” says Tom with a little smile.

“What can you say about him?”

“He’s- he’s nice. He’s also friends with Pierre - this is how we met although. He- There’s something in his behaviour that reminds me of someone else - you know who - and it’s- well, it’s sometimes disturbing how they look the same in some situations. But he’s so, so different from her. Maybe kinder and cuter, and he’s someone else, so it’s normal that he’s different, but- you understand why I’m trying to say?”

“Yes,” he nods. “You’re maybe not ready for a relationship now? Have you had someone else since her? Like when you travelled?” asks Paul.

“David, I’m not fifteen anymore” he smiles. “Yes, I had some one-night-stand, so nothing serious and it was different. There was nothing implied. It was just a night or less, so”.

“He’s more than a friend to you, no? It was you’re trying to say when you said ‘ _ it’s different _ ’ no?” he asks with a smirk.

“No- he’s- well” he scratches his hair. “It’s complicated. I don’t know what I am to him”.

“But my question isn’t about what  _ he _ is thinking, or believing or whatever, but about _ you _ . Is he only a  _ friend _ ? Do you have feelings for him? Are you  _ loving _ him?”

Tom’s mouth is now open. Maybe the realisation? Maybe something else?

“I love him, he’s someone really close to me even if I know him for a short time. But I love you, Pierre, or-”

“Told me about your way of loving him” interrupts David with his chin in his hand, his elbow now on the table, looking at Tom.

“I don’t know what you want to hear? It’s a strange question”.

“There’s nothing strange. Imagine him kissing you, what would you do?”

Tom’s cheekbones turn red.

“ _ You already kissed! And you don’t tell me _ ” says David, who looks incredulous.

“No! No- no we don’t. It almost happened, that’s all” he explains as a child caught making a mistake.

“It looks really  _ really _ interesting. Tell me more”.

“We- we were- no he was doing a nap- I forgot. We were in a hotel room and- because I go to Spain- I’ll explain to you stop looking at me like that. So I was saying- we- no he was doing a nap, and we were in the same bed, and- I wake him up ten minutes before the alarm I had set and he was on top of me and- and he started kissing my neck, and- stop laughing, there’s nothing to laugh about. And quickly he was kissing my face, and at the moment I felt his lips on top of mine, my phone rang - the alarm. So we both jump and we fall down. That’s all”.

“So for unknown reasons, you joined him in Spain, and shared at least a bed in a hotel room, and you kissed on the neck? And he was about to  _ kiss _ you?" he repeats just to be sure. 

"Yes" only says Tom. 

"I saw that you were close when I met him, but I didn't think it was  _ this _ close. What's wrong with this then?" 

"I- He's too young,  _ too _ young, really. And, I- I don't think I'm ready for a relationship".

"How old is he?" asks David, surprised to hear his friend saying that. 

"He's only sixteen," he says sadly. 

"If he likes you back - and I think he's liking you back - you can be together, but just sharing kisses and cuddles till he's old enough - even if the sexual majority is 15 here. Or, you share nothing and you both just wait a little to be fully together. I think you should talk with each other" answers softly David. “Because it’ll be your privacy but- yeah, you must be careful because he’s younger than you, and you’re two boys. Won’t be easy, but I’m sure you will get through this”. 

"Yeah. Thanks for your advice, but I still have to talk about  _ you-know-what  _ to him, and I have no idea how I will do it. Like, you know what has happened, so I never have to explain to you, but he doesn't know anything about that and I don't know how to say it" he says with a small voice. 

"With your heart Tom, with your heart. It will be really intimate and hard, but I'm sure it will help you somehow. You can trust him, I'm sure about that. Maybe bring him at the beach, and just talk, he will listen to you" he answers with a small smile. "When is he coming back?" 

"2 weeks, but he has his own problems to deal with," he sighs. 

"I don't know what type of problem it is, but once it's solved, and you spend some days together, talk to him, it will help, I promise" he smiles. 

"Okay" he smiles back at David. 

"Is there anything else?" 

"No, not for now" he laughs. 

"I'm not your psychologist for free, so" he laughs. 

"Thank you for being there," smiles genuinely Tom. 

"Anytime Tom". 

They eat delicious food, and laugh, and end the evening at Tom's flat. They play Fifa until the next morning, and fall asleep there, on the sofa. 

  
  


Somewhere else on Earth, two friends are spending time together. They are on the grass, talking lightly with each other, smiling and laughing. 

"So, you're saying that you were talking about my football's skills together on the floor of a shared hotel room?" asks Pierre with a smile. 

"This is what I said, yeah" he smiles back, looking at Pierre. 

"But how did it happen? Tom said that he came to Spain to see you, but I know there's something else, maybe related to Eduardo. You want to talk about it?" he asks nicely. 

"I don't know what happened. He was as usual, but- I really don't know. He said that I have to train and that was the reason for my poor result in the first part of the season. He said that we had to talk about food in the evening because he had to go. And I didn't know what I was allowed to do, so I just go do my daily exercises in the weight room, and maybe I was tired from the flight or I don't know, maybe the heat, and I faint. I sent texts to Tom just before it happened and he called the emergency - I don't know how because he doesn't speak a word in Spanish. He saved me. We stayed in his hotel room, and- it was nice". 

"Did he take good care of you?" 

"Of course. We went outside, I showed him places that I like there, he listened to me, comforted me - even was my teddy bear" he laughs. 

"You're that close?" he asks with a smile. 

"I- we- we almost kissed" whispered Fabio. 

" _ Kissed _ ?" he repeats to be sure with wide eyes. 

"Yeah. I- we became really close, and- he had kissed me first here" he shows his neck. "He wasn't fully aware of what he was doing, but it was soft. We were holding hands, and I don't know how it started, but I almost kissed him, this is an alarm that separated us. Then we fall on the floor and talk about your football abilities" he laughs. 

"He's good for you, and you're good for him, but you're sixteen and he will turn twenty-one in November, people won't like it - apart from the fact that he's a boy. You know it's not good for your career, so you two have to stay secret - it will be tough but if you truly love each other, it will be OK. But, you need to talk about  _ this _ \- whatever you call it - to be sure you want the same thing" he smiles. 

"You're not mad at me?" asks Fabio with big eyes. 

"Why would I be mad at you?" 

"Because he's your friend, because he's older than me, because he's a boy?" 

"I just want you to be happy, so if you're in love - and he's in love too - it's OK. I have known Tom for many years, I know how he is, and I'm sure he will be nice to you. And it's not like he's 25 or more, he's only 21, it's not that far - and I'm also 21".

Fabio hugs him close. 

"Thank you, thank you so much" he whispers. 

"Anytime Fabio". 

They stay close for a long time. Fabio feels safe here, protected - not the same way as when he’s in Tom’s arms, but safe. He’s thinking about Tom, about them  _ together _ . Going on holidays far from their life, him coming to his races, spending time together, meeting their families and hundreds of things like that. It seems to be so nice, but, is Tom  _ loving _ him as he does?

“Do you think h- No, forget it’s stupid anyway” he whispers.

Pierre pulled away to look at him in the eyes and put a finger under his chin.

“If your question was ‘ _ do you think he’s loving me? _ ’, the answer is clear. Yes. But, there are things that you ignored but need to know to fully understand him, but you need to let him time. It’s difficult, because it hurts to talk about it, this is why he doesn’t talk about it yet. I promise it’s not because he doesn’t trust you or anything like that” says nicely Pierre.

“But why would he love me?”

This insecurity in Fabio’s voice broke something in Pierre’s heart.

“Why wouldn't he?”

“Because- I mean, he’s perfect, handsome, nice, caring, funny and so many things. He’s the dreamed boyfriend, and I’m what? A sixteen-year-old boy who only drives a bike at indecent speed.”

Pierre pulls him in a hug.

“Fabio, listen to me. You’re more than that. So much more. You’re precious, nice, funny, cute, smart, handsome and so so many things. Why do you put yourself down like that? Many people are loving you. Believe me, you catch many looks when you’re walking on the streets. You have to learn how to love yourself to love other people, and I’m sure Tom will be the greatest teacher for you”.

Fabio doesn’t answer, just hold him closer.

“You know that I like you, no?” Fabio nods in the embrace. “So never hesitate to talk to me when you need it, I’ll be there”.

“Thank you” he answers with a really small voice, as if he’s falling asleep.

“It’s been a long day, we should go back to the hotel,” he says while rubbing his back.

They pull away again, and Pierre wraps an arm around his shoulders, leading him. He promised Tom to take care and look after him, and he won’t let him alone any second.

  
  



	17. Chapter 17

It’s Friday morning and Tom is watching Moto 3 for the first time. He’s only looking at the bike with the number 20 - his favourite driver. It’s curious, Tom doesn’t really understand everything but he’s happy to discover it - it’s Fabio's favourite sport after all. He’s smiling every time he sees him on the screen. He ends in the seven positions, close to the leader and it seems to be good for the younger one. He should call Pierre to understand more about it, because he only knows there are three free practices, and then qualifications, but he also knows that free practices matters in qualy, so it’s quite confusing in his mind. But one thing is certain, he already knows who he will be cheering for. His day flies quickly, but he takes time to watch the second free practice. 

He exchanges many texts with the younger one. Mostly some jokes, or news, but nothing about Eduardo. He really hopes Fabio is alright. Even if he knows Pierre is with him, he can't help, but feel worried. He wants to protect him, at all costs, to be sure he's safe and happy. After his talk with Paul, it's clear he has feelings for him. He somehow knows it, because he loves too much being close to him, holding him, and yes, he's really attractive too. How not to fall for him? But he also remembers that he'll turn 21 in November when he's only 16. Next year, he'll be 17, so the gap will be more acceptable, 17 and 21 seem better in Tom's mind. But it also depends on what Fabio wants. He's also a part of 'this' and his opinion is as important as Tom's. They need to talk about it. But most importantly, Fabio has to talk with his family about Eduardo's behaviour for the last years, and he has asked him to be there with him - even if he doesn't really know if it's a good idea or not. It's a private talk that should stay in the family, but if he wants him, he'll be there to support him despite everything. 

Saturday, Tom's watching qualifications, cheering for Fabio. He holds his breath till the end, and he's so happy when he sees him next to the 5, meaning his fifth over 34 riders. He's so proud of him. He quickly sends him a text. He goes back to sleep happily, but he would have loved to hold him close to show him how much he's proud of him. He's gonna see him soon, less than two weeks. It's long and short at the same time. He can almost feel his skin against his, but his head isn't as credulous as his heart. He knows he's far away, and won't come back immediately. 

Sunday. Tom wouldn't miss the race for anything in the world. He's on his sofa thirteen minutes before the race, ready for it. He has some food and waits for it to start. He sent Fabio a text earlier in the day to wish him good luck, that he will believe in him no matter what happened during the race, and that most importantly, he has to enjoy the race - the most important part. He knows Fabio has big pressure on his young shoulders. Being the youngest and coming with such good renown isn't the easiest situation. Everybody's looking at what he's doing, and being harsher on him because he's a hope, maybe a future world champion. Fabio doesn't talk about it, but he has read the press and he feels bad for him. He knows he's not breakable but conversely really strong. It's just that Tom wants to protect him - as he hadn't lived on his own before meeting him. 

It's a difficult race for Fabio. He had started fifth, but ended eleventh. It's not that bad, 11 over 32 it's great - he could have done better, sure, but it's still great - and he wasn't lapped. Tom knows he will learn from this race, studying the data to do even better the next time. He really wants to text him something but he doesn't know how. Like, saying ' _congratulations_ ' can be misunderstood - he knows he would answer something like ' _I could have done better_ ', and it's not what he wants. 

_I see your race, ending eleven is great :)_

_I'm sure you will be in the top 5 the next race, you have the abilities to, and even more._

_Hope you enjoyed your race._

It's maybe not the right thing to say, maybe it is, but at least he sent something. He showed him that he's interested in what he does, what he likes, and that's the most important thing for Tom. 

_Oh, thank :)_

_I'm disappointed, hope I could have done better but still happy to have some points for the championship._

_Happy to see that you enjoyed the race :)_

_A bit tough, but nice to race again._

_Can I confide you a secret?_

_Yeah, I understand your disappointment, but what you have done is still great. I'm sure it will be even better next race :)_

_I really enjoyed watching you, it's nice to discover more about what you like._

_Of course, you can._

Tom is scared to have said too much, and his anxiety grows with the time Fabio takes to answer. After ten minutes, he puts his phone on a table to do something else - watching the wall. 

_Really sorry to answer you this late, someone from the team came because we had a meeting. I'm really sorry._

_Thank you for believing in me. It means a lot to me._

_Really nice compliment, thank you also for this. I'd really like to discover more about you._

_I really miss you._

This is the light of his phone that catches his attention. Fabio? He really hopes it's him. 

_Don't worry about it. I'm glad nothing bad happened to you :)_

_I'll always believe in you, you work so hard to be on the top, you deserve everything. I'll never stop believing and supporting you._

_I promise I will. It's not the moment right now, but really really soon I'll show you things I love. It's a promise. And you lived in the same city as mine now, so I'll have plenty of time to show you many things._

_I really miss you too._

It's really early for Tom, so he's maybe less aware of what he says. Maybe more open. 

_You're always so worried for me, you shouldn't. I'm fine, I promise. Nothing bad will happen to me, I'm in public, there are cameras everywhere, Pierre's here and also the team. It's nice to know it because it means that you care for me, but you don't have to. I'm fine._

_Your words are so precious, and nice and it goes right to my heart. Thank you one thousand times for everything._

_This is true, now we live in the same city. I didn't even realize before your text but it's true. I'm so happy, it means I'll be able to see you often and some other friends, but I feel sad to leave Pierre :(_

_I'm waiting for it. I can't wait to discover everything you want to share with me :)_

_I would love to have you here to sleep in your arms._

Maybe Tom isn't the only one who has lost his mind. 

_I can't stop worrying about you knowing you're doing a really dangerous sport. I'm so scared you had a crash and be hurt. I know you already have plenty of injuries, so you're not scared of it anymore, but I really like you and I don't want you to be hurt but I want you to be happy. So you'll have to deal with my worries, I'm sorry._

_You are precious._

_So many changes in such a short time, if you need anything, you have my number :)_

_It also means we can train together, I know you used to do it with Pierre when you were in Spain, so if you want, you have me._

_You'll know everything, it's just a matter of time._

_I would also love it. In some days, I promise I'll let you sleep in my arms. You just have to wait a little more, little one. Just a matter of time._

Tom falls asleep after his last text. 

_❤️❤️_


	18. Chapter 18

Their conversation has changed something. Now, before either of them falls asleep, they (if possible) make a video call. They really miss each other, and mostly their proximity during their days in Spain. They want the other on their bed to sleep better, and those calls are a way of lying to their heart. It's nice to hear the other talking or just breathing. 

Like last week, Tom doesn’t miss anything of the free practices, as the qualifications. It's Sunday morning and he's in front of his TV screen, ready for Fabio's race. It's now a matter of time before the start. He's praying for him, to be safe, and if possible, to have a good result, but his safety is way more important than a race result. He knows that's what he loves most in the world, but he only wants him to be safe - and happy. 

Pierre has sent him a lot of texts about Fabio. He said that Eduardo doesn't approach Fabio at all, that he's even avoiding him and he doesn't understand why. Everybody noticed but nobody dared to ask questions. But Pierre said that the whole team is gentle with him. Fabio hasn't said a word about it. Hopefully, Pierre is there with him, so he's not alone. Tom would have loved to come as well, but he can't, he has his own duty to deal with. But according to Pierre, the younger one is safe and seems to be fine. 

Tom is more than happy and proud when he sees that Fabio ends in the fourth position. It's not a podium, but it's more than great. He's so, so happy for him. It was a great race and he never doubted Fabio's ability to ride, it's just a matter of time for a win. But he's also so happy because it means that they will have some time together, but also that Fabio would have to speak with his parents about Eduardo. Tom sends him a text with congratulations, saying that he's really proud of him, and he's already waiting for him. Fabio answers that he wants him to pick him up at the airport because he really wants to speak about what he has to say to his parents. Tom asks if his parents will be OK if a friend that they saw once in their life will first see their beloved child. He answers that he will be there in the evening when his parents are thinking he will land Monday morning, so they have time to talk and then surprise them. Tom just agreed - what else can he do?

Around ten, Tom is at the airport, waiting for Fabio. When he sees him coming, he hugs him close in a second, and puts one arm on Pierre's back as well to make him come closer. He's so happy to see them again. 

"I really missed you - both of you," he says with a small voice. 

"Happy to see that you missed me too" answers Pierre with a laugh. "I was scared that you would forget me seeing Fabio, but you didn't, I'm happy" he teases. 

"I would never forget you," also laughs Tom. 

They pull away, and leave the building to reach Tom's car. They put all the luggage in the boot and Pierre takes place on the front seat, while Fabio goes behind. Even before they leave the car park he's peacefully sleeping. 

"You sleep at my flat?" eventually asks Tom, his eyes still on the back road. 

"Um..I want to talk with you first, alone. I know he's sleeping right now, but it's really important". 

Tom bits his lips. The last time Pierre used those words and this tone, it was when Paul had a bike accident - and he stayed for two weeks in intensive care. So he's really worried. And he also knows that it's related to Fabio. He's feeling anxiety growing in his body. He drives for another ten minutes and stops the car on top of a little hill, just near the sea. He can hear the sound of the waves washing up on the shore, but it's too dark outside to see the water. He doesn't turn off the engine to not wake Fabio up. Pierre goes out of the car too, and they both sit near the car on the cold sand, close enough to have a look at the car, but far enough to keep their talk private. 

"I didn't want to worry you, but it got worse for Fabio. He's barely eating, like for real. He says to everyone that he has already eaten, but I know it's a lie. He trains all the time, like, really, all the time. He goes running in the morning - before he thinks I wake up but he got caught because I woke up earlier and he was sweaty with red cheeks. Then he goes cycling and goes back running in the evening. I know he's a high-level athlete but it's too much. He's only sixteen and it's definitely too much for his body because he's also going to weigh room. I'm scared that something bad happened to him, something more dramatic than fainting. He has to slow down, but I don't know what I can do to help him" he whispers and Tom hears how much it hurts Pierre to witness Fabio hurting himself like that.

"I've noticed that he's aware of everything he eats, but now it seems to be an eating disorder. We have to find the cause, it would help" he whispers back, really worried for the younger one who's still sleeping on the back seat.

"It's because the lighter he is, the faster he goes on the bike. So he does all he can to lose weight but build muscle, and it's not healthy at all. I'm really worried. I don't know what I can do to help him. But I think you can. When you spend time together, he eats correctly, no?"

Tom takes some seconds to reflect, and naturally, his gaze finds the back of the car, where Fabio is. 

"You're right. In Spain, he ate at least two times a day. He even ate a hamburger and french fries. I think the only positive thing is that he doesn't throw up. Maybe spending some time with him far from the competition and toxic people will be enough to help him".

"I hope so. Hopefully, he's gonna have some days off before the next race, it will help to disconnect him from all of this. Whatever he'll want to train a lot, maybe two times a day or more. We have to look after him". 

"Umh, he may disconnect from racing, but he wants to talk with his parents about Eduardo's behaviour for the last years" he sighs. 

Pierre is now looking at Tom in the eyes. 

"Please, take care of him. I'm begging you, help him going through this" he whispers, his voice cracking at the end. 

Tom sees his wet eyes and immediately hugs him close. 

"I promise I will do everything I can to protect him and help him through all the difficulties he's facing. Thank you for taking care of him during the last week and before". 

And they stay like that a long time, their eyes wet and their hearts hurting. They're gonna protect him and help him at any price. It's a promise and they won't break it, no matter how many times it'll take. 

Quietly, they pull away, they wipe their eyes, and reach the car. They both look at the boy peacefully sleeping in the back seat. Tom takes back the road and drives safely to his home. Once it's done, he turns off the engine, and as softly as he can he opens the door and unties Fabio's belt and lifts him to carry him to the house that Pierre has opened. He carries him to his room. He takes off his shoes and sits near him on the mattress to gently stroke his hair until the younger one starts to move lightly. 

"It's OK, you're in my bedroom, you're safe here" he whispers. 

He sees him shivering. He gets up and quickly grabs sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. 

"There, let me help you," he says when he sees him trying to sit down and struggling to open his eyes. 

Fabio tiredly nods and lets himself be pushed around Tom's hands. He slowly takes off his t-shirt and quickly replaces it by a hoodie. He's not sure if he should also take off his shorts. But Fabio chooses for him and starts to open the button and takes it off his legs. Tom hands him the large sweatpants. 

"You want to keep your socks?" he asks with a whisper. 

Fabio just makes a small noise, and moves to lay on his side, his eyes already closed. He puts the cover over him and turns off the lights, closing the door behind him. He quickly notices Pierre still near the car with his phone. 

"He's sleeping?" 

"It looks like we're talking about a baby" laughs Tom. "But yes, he's wearing more comfortable clothes and sleeping under the covers".

Pierre just nods. 

"You're alright?" he asks, already knowing the answer. 

"I'm tired. I'm happy to be around him and spend a lot of time with him but it hurts to see him like this, that's all" he explains, but Tom knows he isn't telling everything. 

"I'm here now" he smiles with a hand on his shoulder as silent support. "And if you want to talk about anything, I'm here".

"I know, but thank you" he smiles genuinely. 

"What about going to sleep? You seem exhausted". 

"I am. I'm following you". 

They go inside, taking off their shoes. Tom leads him to the guest room, even if he knows the way by heart. It's just a way of saying ' _you're not alone, I'm here for you_ '. Pierre follows him, and when they reach the room, he lets himself fall down on the bed with a tired sigh. Tom is laying against the door frame, looking at him with a small smile. 

"If you need anything you know the house, and if you don't find what you're looking for, you know where my bedroom is".

"Thank you. Good night" he answers with a smile. 

"You're welcome. Good night" he smiles back. 

He closes the door behind him and now walks to his room. He silently opens the door and takes off his shirt, and his shorts, and reaches the bed in the dark - it's his bedroom after all. He swipes under the sheets and in less than thirteen seconds, a warm body is against his. This the exact moment he notices he's only wearing boxers. He feels the sweetness of the hoodie's fabric against his bare chest and even if he's a little embarrassed about being almost naked, he's more than happy finally having Fabio close. He quickly wraps his arms around his body and closes his eyes with the smell of his hair conditioner. One hand is resting on the middle of his back, and the other behind his neck, and in less than five minutes, he's falling asleep, dreaming about a handsome boy. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you had a great day, here a new chapter :)

Tom is dreaming about a beautiful meadow with hundreds of flowers. He feels good there. He has no worries, he's just happy. He's running, or just on his back on the grass and it makes him happy. When he turns his head, he sees a beautiful man who looks like Fabio, but an older version of himself. He takes his hand, and _Fabio_ laces their fingers together. He's about to lay down and kiss him when, suddenly, it's cold. No heat anymore and the sun disappeared behind black clouds. There is a lot of wind and Tom shivers. When he opens his eyes, he's alone in the bed. Fabio's gone. He frowns, and looks at his phone, it's 6 in the morning. Definitely too early to get up. But he clumsily goes out of bed, takes the first clothes he finds, and walks out of the bedroom. He really hopes Fabio isn't out yet. He's neither in the living room nor in the kitchen. Tom just lay against the wall in the living room, reflecting on where Fabio can be. 

After some seconds, he walks to the garden, and there's a small mass near the plants - the most beautiful one if he was one. Tom opens the patio door and walks silently towards the younger one. He's in a ball, curled upon himself, and this sight breaks Tom's heart. He comes closer and puts his hand on his shoulder. Fabio lifts his head, and Tom can only witness his red and wet eyes. Without thinking, he sits next to him to hug him close, stroking his back and hairs soothingly, waiting for him to talk if he wants it. 

"Tom" he whispers with a broken voice, and Tom just hugs him closer. "I'm tired of crying every time something goes wrong, but I can't do anything against it. I feel like a crybaby and I hate being like that".

"You're not a crybaby Fabio. You have to deal with a lot of pressure, so it's _normal_ to evacuate it, we already talked about it. It's OK to feel sad or cry" he murmurs holding him as close as possible. 

"This morning I- I wanted to go running, but I slipped on the floor and hurt my knee while falling. And I didn't know what to do then- and I ended here, crying like a nipper" he manages to say between his sobs. 

Tom escapes a little just to kiss his hurt knee and hugs him again before kissing his head. 

"Kisses make it better, no? I also have ice if you want" he smiles in his neck.

Fabio stays frozen for a moment, trying to register what just happened, and blushes when his brain understands. 

"It's nice but I think it'll be OK. It's not that bad, at worst, I'll have a bruise - but nothing dramatic" he says quickly. 

Tom just nods. 

"It's still early, but if you want, we can talk about _you know what_ " he answers after a moment. 

Fabio sniffs and rubs his red and still wet eyes.

"I- I don't think I can do that. I can't bash Eduardo, not after everything he had done for me. He always had wanted the best for me, so I can't pull him away like that. I owned him everything, _everything_. He believed in me when nobody did, he made me grow up and kinda raised me. He took care of me and was most of the time nice" he whispers with a shaking voice. "It would be unfair," he adds. 

"Would you like to be alone in a room with him for a few hours?" 

Fabio remains silent for a moment. 

"You see, if he was as nice as you said, you would say _yes_ without any hesitation. It's not because he did nice things to you that you have to _accept_ him _hurting_ you. Slamming someone - especially a child - against a wall because he didn't win a race, or worst, because he crashed the bike isn't nice. Forbidding a young man to eat because he _has_ to lose weight is _abuse_ ; _forcing_ a young man to train three times a day is _abuse_. And this is the only thing I know. I'm sure he has done worse. It's not normal Fabio, you should take your distance with him. If you don't want it, I won't be mad at you, you're able to take care of yourself, it's only advice because I want you to be healthy and happy".

"I'm lost" he sniffs. "I don't know anything anymore," he says while burying his head deeper in the crook of Tom's neck. 

"You're a handsome and talented young man who's meant to be a motoGP world champion one day. And if it's not what you want any more, you can be anything you want. I will always, _always_ support you and believe in you".

"You really mean it?" says Fabio timidly, breaking away from the embrace to look into Tom's eyes, perhaps looking for a trace of a lie. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you" he whispers in his neck. 

"You still want me to be with you when you're gonna tell your parents?" eventually asks Tom who's still stroking gently his back and hair. 

"Of course I want you, I don't have enough strength to do it alone".

They stay like that, glued to each other for a long time. Tom is quite sure Fabio is fast asleep by now. 

"Fabio?" he murmurs in his ear. 

" _Humm_ " 

"We should get up and go to the couch or the bed" 

" _Humm_ " 

"You're awake?" 

" _Humm_ " 

"Fabio?" 

" _Humm_ " 

"Fabio?" 

" _Humm_ " 

"You know another word than ' _humm_ '?" 

" _Humm_ " 

"OK," he laughs. 

He wraps his arms more tightly around Fabio's body to lift him up and he carries him to the sofa. Tom lays down on his back and Fabio is as usual on top of him. Tom takes a blanket and wraps it around them to keep Fabio warm. And in less than ten minutes he's sleeping too. They are both far from what they have to face. 

The waking is difficult. Tom is the first one to wake up, and it's difficult for him to leave the sleeping state. He reaches out and grabs his phone. It's almost eleven, they really have to wake up now. He rubs his hands on Fabio's back. 

"It's almost eleven, we should get up," he says. 

After another ten minutes, Fabio is finally awake - more or less, to be honest. He really seems to be exhausted. And what they're about to do won't help him rest, but they have to. Maybe Eduardo had already called his parents and told them nonsense.

"Do we _really_ have to tell them?" he asks with a small voice. 

Tom looks at him and smiles gently. 

"Yes. It's difficult but once it'll be done, you'll feel better, I promise. And as I already said, if you really want him to be your manager it's OK, and if you want someone new, it's also OK. You can choose what you want. But if you want, you can - if Eduardo hadn't said anything to your parents - just tell them that you're coming back here, in your _home_. And if you want to get rid of Eduardo, you can say to your parents ' _Eduardo's living in Spain, I need someone in Nice or near'_. You have no obligation to explain to them now everything if you don't feel good doing it. One day you will, but if it's not today, it's also fine" he explains looking at Fabio. 

"You sure I can?" 

Even if he knows he shouldn't, he finds him really _really_ cute at this moment, the way he's looking at him, the way he spoke. He's definitely too cute for his weak heart. 

"Of course you can. If you don't want to explain everything _now_ to your parents it's OK. Your parents are maybe worried enough with you being a rider" he laughs softly, trying to relax the atmosphere. 

"Maybe" also laughs Fabio. "You know, my mom never watches a live race. She waits for the result, and if it's good, she watches it later, if I fell or had a technical issue or anything, she just leaves it" he explains with a smile. 

"Really?" he laughs. 

"Yeah, at least it's what she told me" he smiles, his knuckles stroking Tom's chest. "My dad always watches them live" 

"I watch them live too" answers Tom with a shy smile. 

They remain silent for a moment, just being close to the other. Just a moment out of time. 

Later, they eat together in a nice restaurant with Pierre to celebrate him being back in town, and Fabio goes back home alone after talking for a long time with Pierre and Tom. Fabio thinks Eduardo must have stayed silent because his parents haven't called him. 

He goes home, and his parents are already waiting for him - he told them he will eat with friends that he won't see for a moment. It's strangely quiet in the house. They are both sitting in the living room looking at him with closed faces. 

"Eduardo called us this morning," says his mom, and his world breaks.

"Why has he called you?" he asks, trying to not show how affected he is. 

"In your opinion?" Answers his dad, upset. 

"I don't know- I _really_ don't know, I promise," he says with a small voice, almost broken. 

His parents are looking at him, looking at each other, and again many times. 

"He said that you left without a word with someone he doesn't know and who may have taken advantage of you and that you have avoided him for the past few weeks, categorically refusing to speak to him, despite all his efforts. He doesn't understand why. We didn't raise you like that" explains firmly Fabio's dad. 

"I- he- It's true I left his house in Spain" he sees the disappointment in his parent's eyes. "I- when we got home, he told me that I did a bad first half of the season, and that was because I didn't train enough, so he has created me a schedule with two runs per day, daily training in the weight room and a lot of cycling. I- I agree that I could have done better, but it was too much, I won't be able to do it during the season, maybe in the winter break but I can't do that and at the same time traveling around the world for races, and race. I know that I have to train a lot to be good enough to make you proud but- This day, before leaving, he told me to go training and that we have to talk about food when he'll be back. I do what he asked, but it was too much because I felt bad and faint. Just before it happened, I text Tom, so he called an ambulance. The medics said that was because of the heat and the fact I hadn't eat - I know it's stupid to do sport without eating, but I wasn't sure if I was allowed to eat or not. Two hours later, Tom came to Spain to take care of me. He checked on me and talked a lot with Eduardo before we left for his hotel - I don't know what Eduardo said, I was sleeping. And then he took care of me till my flight, the following day. Pierre was waiting for me in Indianapolis, and Eduardo doesn't say a word to me since Tom left us at the airport. And it wasn't different during the two race weeks. I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but it was too much for me, and- and I don't want to see him again" he explains as quickly as he can, almost bursting in tears at the end, as well as he is voice breaks and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment in their eyes, but instead he feels the safety of a hug. 

His parents hug him close. 

"We are so sorry" whispers his mom. "We should have asked you instead of believing Eduardo, " she adds. 

"I want to talk with him because that's not acceptable," says his dad. "Does he hurt you?" he adds with a sweet voice full of consideration. 

Fabio remains silent for a moment, reflecting, but only Tom's voice was on his mind ' _it's not normal_ ', ' _it's abuse_ '. His parents give him time to collect himself, his mom stroking his hair and his dad still has a hand on his back as support. 

"Yes." 

It's only one word, but it changes everything. It's crazy how powerful one little word can be sometimes. His parents seem to be frozen. Everything is frozen around him. 

"I- We nee- When you'll be ready, tell us more about it and what you want us to do. If one thing is sure, is that he'll never be close to you again" answers his dad, holding him close. 

"I'm so so sorry it had happened chéri, so so sorry, if there's anything I can do for you, let me know" she adds with wet eyes. "You want us to involve the police? Because it's not because he's in Spain that he'll avoid police, unless you don't want it. It's your choice and only yours, and you have time to reflect on it. I don't expect an answer now, don't worry". 

"I-" His voice is broken by sobs. "I would like you to speak with Tom - he doesn't know anything, but it would maybe help you understand more. He had talked with him about _this_ before we left" adds the younger one. 

"And we also have to thank him for what he did for you" answers Fabio. "Hopefully he was there for you. If there's anything - even if it's simple to talk to Tom because he's closer in age - don't hesitate to talk to us" he adds. 

"I promise I will. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier" he says with a broken voice. 

"Hey, sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry about. It's us who are sorry because we should have noticed he was hurting you, it's our role and we failed. So please, forgive us" answers his mom. 

"It's not your fault, not at all. I tried my best to hide it because I thought I could deal with".

The three of them stayed close for a long time. It's been a while since they shared a hug and they all missed this feeling. 

_Hello, this is Fabio's parents._

_We really want to thank you for taking care of our beloved child and helping him going through hard times. We would love to talk with you about Eduardo, at the request of Fabio, when you'll be free._

_Good evening & night. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not really happy with this one, but I hope you enjoy it :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it took so long to publish this chapter. I have had a lot of administrative work lately and it took all my time 😐 Hope you enjoy this chapter! ☺️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm posting the chapter 20 😮  
> this story has more than 45 000 words, my longest story so far and there's still a lot of chapters & adventures for Tom&Fabio 😉  
> thank you for reading this story and thank you a lot for all the kudos&comments 💙  
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter ☺️

After they pull away, Fabio sits on the couch, while his father is texting Tom. Tom. He wants to see him. He wants Tom to hug him, because it's the safer place in the world. 

_ Fabio? What happened with your parents? Are you alright?  _ \- Tom. 

It warms his heart. How can someone be this nice and caring with him? 

_ Eduardo had called my parents this morning, so I had to explain a little to them. If it doesn't bother you, I would like you to talk with my parents because I don't think I can.  _

_ What an asshole.  _

_ Are you OK?  _

He looks at his phone and he doesn't know what to do. He would love him to come to cuddle with him, but he doesn't want to bother him. He maybe has better things to do. 

_ I'm fine, don't worry :) _

_ Are you sure?  _

_ Your parents texted me, I'll come this afternoon to talk with them. If you don't want to be alone, you can come in flat tonight, Pierre will be there as well :)  _

So Tom is asking to see him? And Pierre will be there too? He can't refuse this opportunity. Maybe Tom's knowing him too well now? Knowing he won't ask. 

_ Would love it 😀 _

_ I'll come around 5.  _

_ You want to talk with us? _

_ And if you prefer to go out or stay in your room, it's also OK :)  _

Fabio smiles, deeply touched by Tom's caring. He's really thoughtful and, once again, it warms Fabio's heart. 

They keep texting for a while, Fabio still sits on the couch while his parents are in the garden, talking about Eduardo. Knowing that you're child had been  _ hurt _ by someone, especially when it's someone you trusted is one of the worst things that can happen to you. There's no word to describe it. It hurts, a lot. You have to face the fact that you send your son right in the danger, with someone who wasn't who he pretended to be. Someone who also lies to you, promising he's taking good care of your beloved child, and worst, makes your son lie to you. 

The more they reflect on it, the more they understand why Fabio stayed silent about it. His dream is to be motoGP world champion, and the better way to get into the championship is to be the CEV's champion, kind of Moto 3 junior championship, and to accomplish it, he needed to ride in Spain, and Eduardo was the only option he had there. It breaks his parents' hearts. He had suffered for many years, in silence, because his dream is the most important thing for him, but also to make them proud. They have discovered it by  _ accident.  _ It means that Fabio would have kept it secret, and his goal was to never tell them. Étienne, his father has to comfort his wife (but he also needs comfort) because it's really difficult to realize it. They know they need to talk with Fabio about this, but they also know that they have to let him time. He seems to really get along with Tom, so if it makes him feeling better being with close friends, he can see him or them as often as he wants. Tom seems (from the little they saw) to be really nice and took care of Fabio, and it's the only thing they want. 

When they are back in the living room, Fabio is still on the couch, smiling at his phone. They come closer and sit by his sides. Fabio lifts his head and smiles lightly at them. 

"We see that you seem to really get along with Tom, so if you want to see him today, or tomorrow or whenever you want it's OK. If you feel comfortable and good around him, you can see him every time you want. We just want you to be happy and healthy" says his father. 

"I understand that speaking with someone of your age is easier so, it's OK to talk with him and not us if it's better for you. So we won't ask you many questions, because we understand it's not something easy to tell, but you have to know that we trust you and believe what you said, no matter what Eduardo will say. The only thing we want, it's to know if you want to engage in judicial prosecution. You don't have to answer now, but please, reflect on it" adds his mom. "And more importantly, you won't see him again. Étienne's going to his house this weekend to collect your things and fire him. So it's OK now, you're safe". 

Fabio quickly puts his hands on both of his parents back to make them come closer in a hug. 

"Thank you for understanding me" he whispers. 

"Always, mon cœur" answers his mom while stroking his hair. 

"And if there's anything we can do, just tell us. And don't worry, we won't tell the family, unless you want so" adds his dad. 

"Thank you" he sniffs. 

They stay close for a moment. 

"Tom said he's gonna come this afternoon, and he invited me tonight with Pierre at his house, can I sleep there?" he asks with a small voice. 

"Of course you can. As we said, if you feel safe and if it's easier to talk with him, it's OK. We understand, we were young one day" laughs softly his dad. 

"Thank you," he says again. "I'll text you to keep you informed, and don't make you worried". 

Fabio goes back to his room to collect some things before laying on his bed to get some rest. He has more than an hour before Tom's arrival. 

He's wakened by voices, as if people are talking, having a conversation. He's not awake enough to understand a single word, so he frowns and rubs his eyes. He takes his phone and looks at the screen. 7 pm. He needs some time to understand, and it means that Tom's here and he's talking with his parents. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know if he wants to have this conversation, even if he understands why his parents want him to talk. It's just too much in such a short time. He's sitting on his bed, his phone still on his hand when he hears light knocks on the door. 

"Yes?" he says with a hoarse voice. 

The door is open, and Tom is on the other side, smiling softly. 

"Hey," he says. "Can I come in?" he asks. 

"Sure," says Fabio and for unknown reasons, his cheeks are suddenly burning. 

Tom comes in, closing the door behind him, and Fabio believes that he's the hottest man he saw in his life. He rubs his eyes again, because it's not appropriate - not a all. Tom is here for a serious talk. He sits on his bed, on the other side. 

"So I've talked with your parents. You were sleeping, so we let you sleep. It's OK for you?" he says nicely. 

Fabio can stop looking at him. 

"Yeah, it's ok. Thank you for doing this, it means a lot to me". 

Tom smiles and ruffles his hair. 

"As I said, I'll do anything for you" 

Fabio grins and almost jumps on Tom, before wrapping his arms around his body to keep him close. Tom also wraps his arms around Fabio, lightly kissing his head. 

"Thank you" he whispers against his neck. "As I also said, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here".

Tom remains silent for a moment, just stroking his hair and back. 

"I know little one, but for now, it's about you".

They stay like that for a moment, just appreciating each other's heartbeat, breath and heat. Fabio feels safe and loved here, and he wants to stay here forever. He's comfortably laying against Tom's chest, his head between his neck and shoulder, and Tom's arms are wrapped around him. His eyes are closed, and he just falls asleep - again. Fabio is like children, if he's safe, comfy and surrounded by warmth, he just falls asleep (something Tom must know by now). Tom is looking at his phone, lazily stroking Fabio's hair.

He lifts his head when he hears steps on the stairs, waiting for Fabio's parents to come in. He's a little worried about them seeing their son in his arms, but he can't pull him away, he's sleeping peacefully and it's not fair. They come in and smile when they see them. Tom is relieved and rubs Fabio's back to wake him. 

"No, no let him sleep," says his dad with a quiet voice. "We just came to tell we're going out, we gonna eat with his grandmother and some other people". 

"Oh, we can do our evening tomorrow night, it's not a bother" answers Tom. 

"No, no. I know my mom, she's gonna ask him questions about Spain, his championship and I don't think it's a good idea. We're gonna tell her he's tired because of his races and flights. Have a good evening" says Fabio's mom with a smile. 

"Oh, I understand" he smiles. "Good evening too" he adds. 

When the door is closed, his phone rings. Pierre. 

[ _ Hey, where are you? _ ] he asks. 

[ _ Oh shit, it's already 7? _ ] 

[ _ Yeah, you're with Fabio? _ ] 

[ _ I talked with his parents this afternoon, and he sleeping- _

_ It's Pierre?  _

_ Yes _

_ Tell him to come here _

_ Fabio's awake and sayi- _ ] 

[ _ I heard, I'm on my way _ ] he laughs. 

"I woke you up?" asks Tom, stroking Fabio's hair. 

"Yes, but it's about time, it's 7:30 pm" he laughs, hugging Tom closer. 

"You sleep well?" he asks, kissing the top of his head. 

"Yeah," says Fabio with a big smile while pulling away a little, just enough for their eyes to meet. "What have you said to my parents? Now I've slept enough to have this conversation". 

He's about to answer but Fabio's phone rings. 

[ _ Come in, the front door is open, we're in my bedroom _ ] he says, already knowing why Pierre's calling. 

[ _ Quiero hablar contigo, es muy importante _ ] says the voice on the phone. (*I want to talk with you, it's really important). 

Fabio's eyes widen, and he looks at the screen, seeing Eduardo's name. He looks at Tom, hoping he'll help him. 

[ _ ¿De qué ? _ ] says Fabio after some seconds. (*About what?)

[ _ Sobre todo lo que pasó. Ya no eres un niño, arreglemos esto entre adultos _ .] (*About everything that happened. You're no longer a child, let's settle this between adults). 

[ _ Eduardo, es tarde. Es una discusión que requiere la presencia de mis padres. Buena noche, lo hablaremos pronto, lo prometo. _ ] (*Eduardo, it's late. It's a discussion that requires the presence of my parents. Good evening, we'll talk about it soon, I promise). 

After that, he hangs up the phone. When his phone rings again less than a minute after, he jumps. He looks at it with shaking hands. Pierre. He doesn't have time to reflect, he's against Tom's chest, and the latter is speaking with Pierre, stroking his back. 

"I'm proud of you" he hears in his ear after he hung up the phone. 

"About what?" 

"The way you handle the conversation. Even now, being almost 21, I'm not able to stay this quiet with someone like him. I'm really proud" he says, kissing once again the top of his head.

Fabio hugs him closer, and Tom's moving his right hand on his back, and the other is resting at the back of his neck, protectively. This is the sight Pierre has when he comes in the room without making any noise. He quickly sits on the bed near them and ruffles Fabio's hair. 

"Hey," says softly Pierre. 

Fabio moves from Tom's arms and smiles at Pierre. 

"I'm just gonna tell my parents you're here," says Fabio who takes his phone. 

"So, what happened with Eduardo?" eventually asks Pierre. 

"I- He called my parents to tell them I refused to talk to him, that I leave the house with someone who may have taken advantage of me. I had to tell them the truth, and Tom has talked with them this afternoon" he explains quietly, his back against Tom's chest.

"What an asshole" swears Pierre. 

"It's exactly what I said," says Tom. "You still want to talk about it?" asks Tom, moving a little to look at Fabio by his side. The younger one also moves to catch his eyes, and nods. 

"Yes, you're both here with me" he smiles, laying again against Tom. 

Tom wraps his arms around his body and lets them on top of his clothed abs. He explains what he told them, and how horrified his parents were when they heard what Tom was saying. 

"So they want to find me a new manager. They said they had had offers in the past? I never heard about this offers." says Fabio. 

"Exactly. They also said that they don't want you to be alone till the end of the season - because they scared he tries to see you during a race, even if he's not your manager anymore".

"But the season's not over, I still have to go to Australia, Japan, Malaysia, .., will someone be free to come with me to all of the races? And Eduardo's not coming to every race - especially the ones that are out of Europe - so it's nice but not necessary, no?" 

"True," says Pierre. "But you should talk about it with your parents, now that Tom told them". 

Fabio nods and the topic changes to funny things and stories. And it warms Fabio's heart, because they're trying their best to make him laugh. And the evening passed quickly. It's already two in the morning, and Fabio is sleepy in Tom's arms, Pierre laying beside them. They're watching a series on a laptop, making comments on what they see - even if Fabio's quiet for a long time. 

"You're sleeping?" whispers Tom on Fabio's ear.

"No" he manages to answer with closed eyes. 

"Another one?" asks Tom. 

"Yeah" answers Pierre, but this time Fabio is fast asleep. "You're cute together" he adds and Tom almost chokes with his saliva and it makes Pierre laugh. "You should talk to him, he'll understand, and then, you can take all the time you need to figure out what you want with this relationship - being a couple, only friends or whatever you want. But, to reflect, he has to know - I understand that it's maybe not the right moment with everything that's happening with Eduardo and all of the changes in his life with his championship and the championship itself, but think about it" suggests Pierre. 

Tom is absentmindedly stroking Fabio's hair. 

"You're right, but, I don't know how to do it. Like, I just explain to him everything and that's all? Like we're eating something nice and then, I tell him?" 

"No, but I know how important it is to you, but you have no obligation of making a big deal of it. Talk with your heart when you feel it's the right moment. It's your past and will always be, it has changed you, so it affects your present and future as well. But, Fabio told you about his dreams and Eduardo and it was really difficult for him, but he trusted you, and I'm sure he feels better sharing it with you. I know you trust him too, but if you're not telling him this, at one point, you will have to confess yourself too. Sometimes, the better way of proving your love and care to someone is to let this person take care of you. Let him be by your side, as he lets you see him vulnerable".

Tom remains silent for a moment. 

"It's true that he asked me several times to speak to him if I needed it, that he will be there for me" he eventually says. 

"You don't have to do it now or tomorrow, but think about it, yeah?" quickly says Pierre with a hand on his shoulder and a smile. 

"You really think we can  _ be together _ ? As a couple I mean?" 

Pierre looks at them, Tom on his back, his head on a pillow, Fabio is against him, now on his side, his head resting on Tom's chest and Tom's left arm is around him. 

"I think so. It's gonna be difficult, because you can't be officially together - at least now - but I think you can make it work" he smiles. 

Tom smiles back, and they look at each other, then at the screen and their eyes meet again, and they silently agree to watch another episode of their show. Neither of them sees the end of the episode, falling asleep before it ends. 


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning comes quickly, they have all slept on Fabio’s bed - hopefully, it's huge. Fabio doesn’t understand how, but his fingers are laced with Tom’s, as when they were in Spain, and it feels so right and warm. He looks at their fingers touching each other, and he would love touching more of his skin, feeling him against his skin and body. The only thing that stops him doing so (apart from the fact that Tom’s sleeping), it's because he’s not sure if Tom wants it too. Pierre’s mysterious too. Maybe he knows things he doesn’t and that’s why he doesn’t give proper answers to Fabio's questions. He lets his fingers brush against Tom’s, lazily, loving this feeling. He moves a little to take his phone from the nightstand beside the bed to check the time. It’s only 8. He can maybe fall asleep again? He freezes for a moment, reflecting, his left hand laced with Tom’s, on his right elbow, his phone in his hand, that’s why he jumps when a hand touches his shoulder. It’s a warm hand.

“Sorry, I didn't want to scare you” he hears, the hand still on his shoulder.

He turns around to face him and this moment seems to be out of every timeline. It’s just the both of them, nothing and nobody else. They’re close to each other, looking deep in their eyes, searching for something, or just having a look at each other. Fabio finds him so handsome and attractive, and that’s the same thoughts going on in Tom’s mind. That’s just their moment. Fabio suddenly lowers his eyes, looking at Tom’s nose, and then, his lips. He’d already looked at them when they were in Spain some weeks ago, and they even look more kissable today. He raises his eyes again, looking at Tom’s eyes, and he finds him looking at his lips too, so he just comes closer, and closer, but before their nose is touching, he stops moving, waiting for Tom to do something, showing his consent. He seems to understand because he moves closer too, and the tip of their nose is now in contact. Fabio moves a hand on Tom’s cheek and Tom moves his hand from Fabio’s shoulder to his neck, putting his thumb on his jaw. Fabio opens his mouth lightly and looks one last time at Tom’s eyes and he only sees infinite tenderness and affection. Tom’s even smiling softly at him, maybe in order to reassure him. And then, slowly, Fabio moves to touch Tom’s lips with his. Tom’s putting his free arm around his body, and his hand in his back to guide him closer. And then, it’s like an explosion in their bodies. Their lips are barely touching at the beginning, it’s shy, Tom’s giving him time, and less than ten seconds later, their lips are moving with each other, and Fabio can swear this is the greatest feeling ever - even a win isn’t that good. He wraps his free hand around Tom’s neck to keep him close and they both are completely melting in this embrace, far from the reality. They're in their own world. When they're eventually out of breath, they pull away a little, just enough to breathe, but so close that they’re sharing their air, their hands and arms still wrapped around their body to stay at all cost in this closeness. They share some soft kisses from time to time, Tom's hands on his cheeks, cradling him gently, and looking fondly at each other. 

“Was about time” they eventually hear behind them with a chuckle.

Tom wraps his arms protectively around Fabio, one behind his neck to keep him close to his chest and turns to face Pierre who has a crooked grin.

“Shut up” he answers while smiling but also being a little embarrassed because they forget Pierre was also here. 

"I'm leaving, I have to join Paul for a run. But you better take care of each other, because if one of you is hurt or unhappy or neglected, you better hide in another country - and even, I'll find you - but I'm quite sure you'll take good care of each other. So, talk, this is the key and love each other, that's the most important" he says with a smile. 

Before one of them can collect himself, Pierre’s already gone for a long time. Fabio pulls away from the hug Tom gave him to face him. Tom smiles at the younger one, rubbing his thumb on his cheek. 

"Does it meant something for you, or was it just in the mom-" 

He cuts by a soft but quick kiss on his lips. 

Tom has a smile from ear to ear. 

"I feel the same, baby" he whispers. "But as Pierre said, there are things we should discuss", he adds, his thumbs gently stroking his cheeks. 

"I- You- I'm a rider, in the world championship, and- and having a relationship with a boy it's- well, nobody does it before and I really want to have a relationship with you, and at the same time, I don't want to hide you because you mean a lot to me" he whispers, luckily he's as close as possible because otherwise, Tom wouldn't have heard him. 

He quickly wraps his arms around Fabio's body to hold him close.

"Hey, hey, it's not like we're together for a long time and ready to come out. We have all the time you need, baby. We don't have to rush things, and if I can kiss you and cuddle you in private, it's more than enough for me. We have plenty of time, so no need to worry, everything is fine" he whispers and then kisses his head. 

"You're too good to me" Tom hears. 

"No,  _ you _ 're too good to me" he quickly answers. 

"I- I think it's important for you to know that I never had any 'serious' relationship - apart from 'relationships' in nursery school or even primary school because after I was too focused on racing to have a girlfriend" he confesses, his head in the crook of Tom's neck. 

"I- I also have things to confess about my previous relationship, but it's complicated and-" 

"We have plenty of time babe, if it's too soon or if you need time to tell me, it's OK" softly whispers Fabio, cutting Tom. 

Tom smiles, gently stroking Fabio's hair and back. 

"I also never had a relationship or never been attracted to boys before, so it's all new to me" adds Fabio. 

"Don't worry, me neither" murmurs Tom. 

Fabio's laughing and that makes Tom smile. 

"We're gonna learn, and I'm sure it's gonna be OK. As long as we're able to talk to each other, about everything, literally everything, we're gonna be fine". 

"I hope so because I don't want to lose you, I  _ can't  _ lose you, you mean so much to me".

"You also mean a lot to me," he says while pulling Fabio away enough to softly kiss him. The younger one answers immediately.

They stay in bed all morning, cuddling and it warms their heart so much. Being this close to each other makes them happy, and this is all they need. They share from time to time some soft kisses and they giggle after it, just to kiss again one minute later. 

Fabio has no idea how it all went, how he ended up here, in his bed, with Tom next to him, but it makes him so happy. He thinks back to when he was stuck in Spain with Eduardo being physically violent from time to time and mentally violent most of the time, and how bad he felt and how grateful he is that Tom appeared in his life to save him. He would still be stuck there if he hadn't met him. He owes him everything. 

"What are you thinking about, baby?" 

Fabio lifts his head. 

"How you saved me from Eduardo" he whispers. 

"I'll always protect you, from everything," he says while wrapping his arms more tightly around Fabio's body. 

"I'd like to do the same with you, but I don't think I'm scary enough," he laughs. 

"You're such a cutie but I'm sure that once you’re angry, you're scary baby" Tom laughs. 

"But I think it's better if you're in charge of the safety" he also laughs. 

"It's OK, I'll always protect you, you don't have to worry. Eduardo won't ever hurt you, you're not alone anymore" he whispers in his ear. 

"You're also not alone anymore, I'm here with you babe" he answers. 

"Would you like to spend some time far from here or would you prefer to spend some time with your family?" he whispers. 

"Are you talking about the house on the mountain your family owns?" 

"Yes, if you want that. It can only be a few days so that you can also see your family before you go to Italy?" 

"I would love it. Like we can leave in the morning, spend a quiet day with lots of hugs and kisses, spend the night and leave in the middle of the afternoon?" offers Fabio. 

"Sounds really good," answers Tom with a big smile. "Can't wait for it. We can go the day after tomorrow if your parents are OK for it and if you want it as well". 

"I'll ask them, but just the two of us, far from the world sounds so perfect to me. Can't wait" whispers the younger one. 

"Me neither" answers Tom. "It's not that I want it, but I really have to go, I have to work this afternoon and also tomorrow, but we're gonna spend a lot of time together really soon, I promise" he adds, kissing Fabio once again. 

"You're already leaving?" 

"I need to go home to take a shower and wear fresh clothes. I'm gonna send your parents a text to tell them about the little trip, it's OK for you?" 

"But you didn't text them when we went there last time?" 

"Because it was different. You were going with Pierre, that they know by now, and there were other people. This time it'll be just the two of us, and with what happened with Eduardo, I understand that they need reassurance. They really love you and care about you, I just don't want them to be worried or stuff like that " he explains. 

"You're right, thank you for taking care of me, and my family. You're like a guardian angel to me, thank you" he says genuinely. 

"It's just normal. I really care about you, and I just want you to be happy and healthy, so I'm gonna do everything I can do to make it happen. You mean a lot to me Fabio, and before meeting you I didn't think it was possible, but it has happened thanks to you, so thank you for joining Pierre in this café that day".

Fabio doesn't ask about what Tom was referring to, waiting for him to tell him - it might be the thing he tried to say before. It looks painful and he just wants him to be happy. So instead he just smiles at him. Tom gets out of bed and reaches the door when Fabio gets up too and wraps himself around Tom's back. 

"Are we a thing?" he whispers as low as he can between his shoulder blades.

Tom slowly turns around and once again puts his hands on Fabio's cheeks and jaw, his thumb lightly stroking his cheekbones. 

"Fabio, do you want to be my boyfriend?" he asks genuinely. 

And he blushes, overwhelmed by the question, Tom still looking at him. 

"Of course I want it" he eventually answers. "Tom, would you like to be my boyfriend?" he asks back with a big smile.

Tom kisses him as an answer and say a firmly 'yes' when they pull away, keeping his boyfriend in his arms for a hug. 

Here, in Tom’s arms, Fabio asks himself how they ended up there, but he’s happy. It had just happened, maybe it was fate that made them kiss. He knows he still has a lot of things to deal with but with Tom by his sides, he knows it’s going to be OK. Everything seems to be easier now, knowing that he’s not alone anymore, even if he had Pierre before - but he wasn’t Fabio’s boyfriend. He knows it’s going to be hard work to make their  _ couple _ work, but he’s sure they're gonna do everything they can to make it work, because even if they didn’t say it yet, they love each other.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time since the last chapter, I'm really sorry about that, I had a lot of work recently. I'll try to post the next chapter soon 💙

Fabio has always dreamed of being a motoGP driver, and one day, a world champion, that’s the goal. Since he had first ridden a bike, since he had first seen a race. He remembers when he was a child and sure of wanting to be a rider, how some adults were mocking him. He remembers growing up in a world where races and bikes were unknown. Of course, with his dad being a former rider in the French championship, his family was obviously in the sport, but even his school friends haven’t heard a word about it. He had explained to them how the championship worked with all the free practices, the qualifications, the riders, and the teams. Some people said that he had sparkles in his eyes when he talked about racing, because racing was the love of his life, he was sure of it. He had suffered a lot because of racing, not only because of Eduardo’s behaviour, but also with falls, long trips and pressure, and worst, being far from his beloved family.

He remembers when he first arrived in Spain, he wasn’t speaking a word in Spanish, but he knew he would have the opportunity to race in the main championship, and then follow the champion’s steps. The first day with Eduardo was strange. He was so used to his parents, his family, his relatives, his mates, and then, he was alone in a foreign country far from his home. Eduardo had been clear on the first day : 

“ _ You’re not here on holidays. You’re here to be a champion. I’m not like your parents, I won’t be happy with a P5 or P10, I will never be happy with this performance because it’s mediocre, and you’ll have to live with it. The champions are the ones on the top step, if you’re not on it, then, you’re a loser. It’s as simple as that. Do you understand? I’m not the bad guy, I’m just here to help you be as successful as Valentino, and it starts now. _ ”

He remembers how hard the training was, and how bad he felt every time Eduardo said ‘no’ when he asked to see his friends. “ _ Entertainment is for the losers, and you’re not a loser, so go training instead of playing stupid video games _ ”. He didn’t have any rights there, even speaking about his school days with Eduardo was forbidden. Quickly, he has asked his parents to buy him a phone to talk with them because he felt so alone, far from everybody and everything, stuck somewhere he didn't want to be. He always tried to remember why he left his magnificent French Riviera behind. Being a motoGP champion isn’t simple - it’s a long journey and he knew it - mostly, it needs a lot of sacrifices.

“Fabio?” A voice calls him.

“Hmm”, he answers without even lifting his head. He’s still laying on his stomach on top of the unmade sheets.

“Is everything alright sweetheart?” asks his mom with a sweet voice, while she sits at the end of the bed, but close enough to run his fingers through his hair soothingly.

“I- I have everything to be happy," he’s sure his cheeks are reddened because of the morning memories. “but, for unknown reasons, I don’t really feel happy," he says.

His mom silently listened to him, his fingers caressing his hair.

“What’s going on sweetheart?” she asks with a sweet voice.

Fabio looks down and bit his bottom lip.

“Too many things. There’s the championship, Eduardo, Tom, me being back home, and thousands of insignificant things” he mutters with a small voice.

“I’m here to listen to you, and will always be, and your dad too. We can do anything you want to feel better”.

“Eduardo called me yesterday.” 

The hand in his hair stops.

“ _ What? _ ” says his mom immediately with open wide eyes, before frowning. “What did he want from you?”

“I don’t know. He said I’m no longer a child and we should discuss something. So I tell him that you must be there, that it’s an  _ adult _ talk.”

“I’m proud of you. Remember he has no longer power or anything over you. You don’t have to answer his calls or texts, or anything. You can delete or block his number if you feel better this way - and you have no reason to keep it. I can’t imagine how hard it is for you, you lived with him and under his tyranny for so many years, but it’s over now. You’re safe with us, and we’re going to make sure he won’t ever be close to you again. And you have Tom with you now, as well as Pierre. They’re taking good care of you, I’m glad they're there for you, and more when you’re far from home. You’re so courageous”.

They keep talking for a moment about the evening Fabio had missed to stay here with Tom and Pierre. It makes Fabio smile hearing about his family, he missed them so much - he didn’t really have a chance to see them more than twice a year lately, and being back in Nice means he’s gonna see them more often. 

The day went by quickly, Fabio slept almost all the time. When he finally opens his eyes after his mother tries to wake him up for the tenth time, it's already 9 p.m., and he hasn't done any training today, and the season isn't over yet, he should have trained in the afternoon, but he felt so tired he can't even fight it and just end in his bed, asleep. He rubs his eyes, still half-asleep, when his phone’s screen lights up. He takes it, and it’s an incoming call from Tom, without reflecting, he takes it, smiling.

[ _ Hello baby, how was your day? _ ] he hears and yawns. 

[ _ I’ve slept almost all day long. I’ve talked with my mom after you left, I ate and then slept till you called me _ ] he yawns and rubs his eyes again.

[ _ Did you sleep well last night? _

_ Yes, that’s why I don’t understand why I was so tired that I couldn't even fight it. I just can’t do anything else than sleep. That’s awful, I should have trained this afternoon.. _

_ Hey baby, listen to me. You’re an athlete, so your body is more than important in your life and career, so you should listen to what it says. So if your body says you are tired then you should rest for a few days to be in great shape otherwise you will just hurt yourself _ ]

Fabio sighs.

[ _ I know baby, I know how frustrating it can be sometimes, but it’s better sometimes to slow down to come back stronger. And, have you eaten since noon? _

_ Not yet. _

_ I don’t want to give you orders, I know you can take care of yourself, but it would be great if you get up to eat something and then go back to sleep. Tomorrow is another day, if you feel better, and if you want, we can go running on the beach together? _

_ I would love it. _

_ Perfect then, so eat something, that’s important and you will recover faster _ ]

Tom was about to hang up the phone when he heard Fabio’s voice.

[ _ What about your day? _ ]

And it makes him smile.

[ _ Nice, and I went for a drink with Pierre at the end of the day. Oh, and I sent your parents a text for our little trip, and they agree on it, but you should text them so they know you’re safe. _

_ Oh that’s so cool, can’t wait for it. _

_ Same for me _

_ I’m feeling tired again, I’ll just eat something quickly and go back to sleep. It was nice to hear you, good night _

_ Sleep well baby, and text tomorrow to tell me how you feel _ ]

And Fabio just hums, he gets up and meets his parents in the living room watching TV together. 

“You’re finally awake,” says his mom with a small smile. “I left you a plate in the kitchen, you just have to heat it up” she adds with a smile.

“Thank you”.

He yawns again and takes the plate once it’s warm again, and sits on the other sofa, his eyes almost close. He’s sure his mom tells his father he has slept all day long, but if they’re both worried, and don’t ask any questions. Once the plate is empty, he wishes them good night, washes his teeth, and goes back to his bed, and less than a second later, he’s asleep. 

The next morning comes quickly, and he’s still tired when he wakes up. It’s 10, not late but he usually wakes up earlier to go running. He rubs his eyes again, sits on the bed rather than lying down, and yawns. He eventually gets up, takes a shower, and dresses in sportswear. He leaves a note on the table and takes his bike and rides. He’s sure he’ll feel better after a ride. So he pedals, and first he feels so great, it's almost like getting a new lease of life. This is the first time in years that he goes biking around Nice, and he rediscovers the landscape, and he wonders why he waited so long before coming back, it's so beautiful and familiar here - the best place in the world for him, because he's home. After a long time, he takes a break and decides to text Tom.

_ Hey, this morning I felt better, so I went biking, and I missed this place so much :) Look at this view _

_ \+ 3 pictures _

After drinking a little bit, he takes to the road again, feeling good - not as good as usual, but still good enough to keep going. He looks at the view, and he suddenly thinks about the life he could have had if he had stayed many years ago. Would he be in the World Championship today? He doesn’t think so. He had given his whole life to racing, but for what? This amazing feeling of total freedom, the adrenaline rushing through his veins? Even though he tries to not think about it, every time he jumps on the bike, he thinks it can be the last time. He takes a deep shaky breath, he’s not on his bike (it's still one, but not as fast) and he has to be careful. After a long time, he takes another halt. He takes his phone out of his bag and sees he has a text.

_ I’m happy to hear you feel better but go easy. I don’t think going biking is a good idea, you should rest sweet. Text me when you’re back home, so I know you’re safe. We can hit the road tonight instead, so can you sleep in the car? _

_ I will never get enough of this view :) _

_ Don’t worry, I really feel better :) _

_ That sounds nice, but when? We can maybe eat somewhere together before? _

He doesn’t wait for an answer and takes the road again. This time towards his house, he's been gone for hours, and he's starting to feel tired. He slows down, taking his time to be sure he can make it to his house. He takes many halts to be sure he’s hydrated and catches his breath. And after what feels like an eternity, he finally sees his house. He leaves his bike as close to the door as he could, and almost falls down when he starts to walk, really weak because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday evening. He knows that it’s not responsible at all, but this morning he was so happy because he felt better, that he completely forgot to eat, and he only took water with him. The world around him is spinning, and his vision is blurry. He’s sure he can throw up even with his empty stomach. He doesn’t know how, but he reaches the sofa, and just collapses on top of it, unable to do anything. He forms a fist with his hand, trying to hold on to what he can. Breathless, with ringing ears, blurry vision, he stayed a long time on his back, trying to recover from what he inflicted on his poor body. He knows that Tom is right, he should listen to his body, but, yeah, obviously, he does not yet know how to do it.

After a long time, he sits on the sofa, and with care, he takes off his shoes which he throws away without care. He takes deep breaths and starts to get up. Once again, his vision becomes quickly blurry, but he knows how to deal with that - it has happened many times to him before. This time, he really feels nauseous, so as quickly as he can, he goes to the toilets, and throws up there. He stays on the floor, his back against the cold wall a long time, trying to collect himself. He gets up, and then, he reaches the kitchen and he drinks water, and finds lettuce, tomatoes, and some ham - that’s enough he tells himself. He quickly makes a salad and eats it. He knows it's not enough, he's an athlete, he should eat a lot more, and he's just put in a big effort, but he can't help himself - he shouldn't gain weight. He must have muscles, and not a gram of fat. He washes his plate, and then, he goes right to his bedroom, and falls asleep again, without looking at his phone once, long time ago abandoned on the floor, inside his little backpack in the entrance - he threw it there as he walked in, too focused on trying to find something to hold onto.

_ 8 would be good for me, so I have time to collect all my things. Is it good for you? _

_ Where do you want to eat? I know you look after your weight, I can bring you something healthy that I’ve made? I know a good place where we can eat and watch the sunset. _

_ Don’t forget to send me a text when you’re home. _

_ Fabio? _

_ Fabio, it’s been almost three hours since your last text, are you alright? _

_ 3 missed calls. _

_ Fabio, I really hope your phone died, I’m really worried. I just finished, will be at your house in 5 minutes. _

_ 2 missed calls. _

Tom is really  _ really  _ worried. He knows how Fabio can be sometimes, he knows he didn't feel good yesterday and would feel guilty that he hadn't trained, and even if he didn't feel really good getting up this morning, he would be gone training. When he told him earlier that he was gone cycling, Tom was worried, he knew it wasn’t a great idea. He stops his car as close as possible to Fabio’s house, and when he sees the bike abandoned there, he is at the same time relieved that he came home, and more worried because it’s like he just threw it there. He takes it and puts him near the garage door - where he should be. He knocks at the door, and after two minutes and his phone still silent, he opens the door. He first sees Fabio’s backpack left in the entry. He takes it and walks to the living room. Fabio’s shoes near the sofa whose cushions are all over the place. Tom is frowning, trying to understand what happened, it’s almost like a crime scene, and he’s almost an inspector. He takes the shoes in his other hand, and takes the stairs to the first floor, and softly knocks at Fabio bedroom’s door, but doesn't hear anything. As slowly as he can, he opens it, and he sees Fabio’s body on top of the bed, as he just fell on it, and fell asleep before being able to do anything. He puts the bag on his desk, his shoes on the floor and slowly approaches the bed, and sits at the end of it. Fabio doesn’t look hurt, and his hair is still wet, and it doesn’t look like he just took a shower, and he’s still in sports clothes.

He doesn’t know what to do. Should he wake him up so he can shower and wear more comfortable and warmer clothes or should he just let him sleep and come back later? Fabio makes the choice when he moves a little to come closer to Tom’s thigh. Tom immediately caresses his cheek with his thumb, softly. After less than a minute Fabio starts to move a little, Tom believes that it's the right moment to wake him up. 

“Fabio?” he says softly.

The younger man only hums absent-mindedly.

“You should wake up baby” he whispers, once again softly.

First, Fabio remains silent, and then, he slowly opens his eyes to find Tom's. 

“Tom?” he murmurs, not sure if he's really here or if it's his imagination. 

“Yes?” Smiles Tom. 

“What are you doing here?” he whispers once again, coming closer to Tom. 

“You forgot to answer my texts, so I was worried something had happened to you knowing you were out today” he whispers, his thumb still stroking his cheek.

“I’m fine, I promise,” says Fabio softly before yawning.

“What about taking a shower and changing your clothes to something more comfortable? I’ll wait for you”.

Fabio mumbles something and moves to put his head on Tom’s left thigh and his left hand on top of Tom’s knee.

“I don’t understand what you said”.

“‘m good here, don’t want to move”.

Tom’s laughing softly.

“I promise you’ll feel better after”, he says while manhandling him as he is the most precious thing in the world to make him sit on the bed, but he still holds him with a hand on his back, and once Fabio can hold himself, he slowly gets up.

“Where are you going?” asks the younger one with a yawn.

Tom goes right to his wardrobe and takes a big hoodie and comfortable sweatpants and kneels down in front of the bed to put the clothes on his lap.

“Here baby, just make one last effort and put them, you’ll feel better after, I promise. I'll bring you water and something to eat, and I’ll knock before coming back, don’t worry”.

Fabio nods, and Tom gets up and lightly strokes Fabio's cheeks with his thumb, he smiles at him one last time and leaves the room. Fabio rubs his eyes tiredly, and as fast as he can he kicks off his sports clothes and half-naked, he dreams of a shower, so with the little energy he has, he gets up and goes to the bathroom. He doesn't even wait for the water to be hot to get under the spray and get rid of the sweat that sticks to his body. Tom was right, he feels better once clean. He dries off quickly with a towel and puts on the clean, comfortable clothes Tom gave him. When finished, he returns to his room and finds Tom sitting at the end of his bed, waiting for him, and who opens his arms when he sees him. Fabio smiles and stops in front of him, and he leaned down shyly to place his lips on Tom’s cheek, close to his lips. Tom smiles and wraps his arms around Fabio’s body so he’s more or less on his knees, and he rests his head against his shoulder and his fingers run soothingly on his back. They stay like that for a while just appreciating each other's presence, and, as usual, Fabio falls asleep. It makes Tom smile, and he moves them carefully so they can lay down on the bed. He sets an alarm for later, and also falls asleep.


End file.
